From Within
by Llayth
Summary: Santa Carla Undead #3: Marko is out for revenge with his new pack. But the leader, Logan, has his own ideas on how to make Edgar and Alan's gang of vampire hunters suffer for the demise of the Lost Boys and Max. Death is not the worst thing to happen to a vampire hunter. AlanxOC. (Set after film.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Lost Boys. OCs, however, are mine.**

**Here's the first chapter of the third story in Santa Carla Undead. :) Again, updates will be on Saturdays but I will keep you notified if that has to change. :) Hope you enjoy!**

**Elizabeth Kohler: Sorry for the reply here but fanfic doesn't allow you to pm guest reviewers. :( I just wanted to say thank you very much for your review on Forget Your Running. You're very kind! ^^ And I would love to write a story on the Lost Boys or Laddie someday. I actually have some ideas that I'd love to write about in the future. :) **

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><p>"Okay, we need a plan," Bonnie said. She stayed behind Bridget, stake raised as they crept down the alleyway and she kept her eyes on the path they came down in case something jumped them. Sam was next to Bonnie, crossbow ready and aimed and he stepped carefully, turning in all directions as he did. Bridget led, armed with a stake as well and kept her eyes front. But now she looked back at her friend.<p>

"We have a plan. Find vampire. Stake meets heart," she said.

"No, I mean for this weekend. It's my birthday on Friday and Alan's Saturday. We're a day apart but I thought we could have one big celebration on the Saturday."

"You have strange priorities on a hunt," Sam muttered, keeping his crossbow aimed. He took a second to flash her a grin.

"I want it to be a surprise for Alan so I can't really say anything when we're all together."

"How long have you been friends with the Frog brothers?" Sam asked.

"Since I was thirteen. Why?"

"I think a birthday party, especially a surprise one, is Alan's idea of hell," he said.

"Honestly, he's never actually had one. I've always been his only friend. But now there's quite a group of us and it'll be nice for him. His parents won't even remember it's his birthday. His aunt and uncle are always working their asses off to provide for them. He's never had a proper celebration. We could make this one really special." She had a quick scout around. "And if we make a double celebration I have no problem taking all the attention. I love my birthdays."

Bridget held up a hand, silencing her friend. Sam and Bonnie stopped in their tracks, freezing. Neither of them didn't dare breath as Bridget stepped forward once, lifting and putting her feet down slowly, trying not to make a sound by standing on broken glass that lay around on the ground. She glanced back and made two signs with her hands. One was a finger pressed to her lips. Then she pointed to the corner of the alley.

Bonnie could hear it now. The faint snarls. A sucking sound. She pulled a face, nodding at Bridget to carry on. Sweat gathered on Bonnie's palms as she gripped the stake, her knuckles turning whiter as she did so. She was completely split into two. One part wanted to run away, screaming until she reached her house, barricaded herself in her bedroom and hid under her bed. The other turned her fear and turned into adrenaline. Her heart beat quickened with each step until she could hear it beating loudly against her chest. Her muscles twitched, ready to move whether it was to defend or attack.

Bridget made another sign with her hand. Stay put. Bonnie and Sam remained still, poised and facing opposite directions with their weapons aimed and eyes focused on searching for more vampires, as best they could in the dark alley. Bridget went straight for the side of the building, pressing her back against it and paused. She listened out for any movement. When she continued to hear the greedy slurps and hungry snarls, she took a deep breath and slowly peered around the corner.

The vampire was in a state of ecstasy, back to Bridget and she held a gurgling boy close to her as she drank from his throat. Completely indulging in her blood lust otherwise she would have been attacking the three of them from the beginning. It was an easy or dangerous situation. Easy because the thirst had sent her into a blissful trance, unaware of her surroundings as she drank the life and energy from this poor young boy. They had discovered how possible it was to sneak up on a feeding vampire and attack, putting the situation in their control. But at the same time it was also dangerous. They were feeding to remain strong, stronger than any human could ever be. The attack and kill had to be over and done with quick otherwise they would be getting into a fight with a vampire that they might not survive. It was doable but risky.

Bridget gestured Sam over who was by her side in a second. She nodded to him and he licked his lips, taking a deep breath in. He didn't pause. He turned around the corner and aimed, shooting an arrow right into the back. It missed the heart, piercing through the middle and the vampire screeched, dropping the boy. Sam loaded quickly as she spun from her crouched position and stood straight, baring blood stained fangs. She was tall, taller than any of them with straight, sleek dark hair and thin, long legs. If wasn't for the deformity of her face she probably would be quite beautiful. But the lumpy forehead, hooded over dark circled eyes that shone amber, and sharp, angled features only showed them a monster that had to be put down.

"That was a shit shot," the vampire snarled at them.

"Better than no shot," Sam said and pressed the trigger again. Again, nowhere near the heart but it went straight through the vampire's forehead. When it snarled and tugged on the arrow to pull it out, that was when Bridget and Bonnie attacked. Both girls ran into the vampire, putting all weight into their shoulders as they knocked into her and all three of them fell to the ground with Bonnie and Bridget on top.

Gritting her teeth, Bonnie pressed her forearm against the vampire's throat to keep her down. She brought her stake down into the snarling monster's stomach and it howled, wriggling. Bridget unscrewed a bottle of Holy water, pouring the contents straight onto the vampire's face. Skin bubbled and hissed as the undead girl let out an unearthly roar. She gurgled when water slipped into her mouth and down her throat, burning inside.

"Now!" Bonnie yelled and Bridget took her stake, raising it high above her head. She screamed, a war cry as she swung down, stabbing the vampire right in the heart. The monstrous girl lurched up, levitating a foot off the ground and threw Bonnie and Bridget to the side. She screeched, thrashing around in mid-air as the rest of her skin began to burn away. Flames appeared in patches and Bonnie ran to grab Bridget.

"Take cover," she called out and the three of them ran back around the corner, crouching down as they listened to the snarls and shrieks of the vampire, the crackling of fire and the horrible, foul stench of skin burning. When the screaming died down, they peered around the corner again to see a charred corpse on the ground, mouth agape and smoke rising up.

"Dudes, nice one," Bridget said, a smirk on her face. She held up her hand, beaming at Sam and Bonnie and received a high five from both of them.

"What do we do with this guy?" Sam asked, going over to the vampire girl's victim. The boy lay there with his blank eyes wide open. Blood poured out from the skin that had been broken and ripped off, down onto the ground.

"He's a goner. Leave him for the police to find," Bonnie said and sighed. She stared down at the chalk white boy, taking in his young, boyish features. If she had to guess, she would have said he was fourteen or fifteen.

"Poor kid," she muttered and left it at that. She had seen too many deaths now for this to shock her to the bone.

"Guys, we need to bail. We're not too far from the Boardwalk and no doubt somebody would have heard those screams," Bridget said. They all picked up a pace, running away from the scene and back to the entrance of the alley where Bernice, Edgar, and Alan waited.

"Any luck?" Edgar asked.

"We got one," Sam said. "But a kid was killed before we came across the vampire."

The eldest Frog nodded briefly, his jaw tightening. "How old?"

"Too young," Bonnie said.

"Shit," Alan muttered.

"Poor kid," Bernice whispered.

"How about you guys?" Bridget asked.

"Nothing," Edgar answered. "Guess it's just the one bloodsucker tonight. Good going, team." He nodded in approval to Bonnie, Bridget and Sam.

Bridget saluted him mockingly. "No problem, General," she said, grinning and even Alan flashed a little smirk. When she yawned loudly, she gestured to the cars. "Call it a night? Otherwise I'm going to be the walking dead tomorrow at school."

"You really shouldn't joke about being undead," Alan said, nudging her in the hip.

"Who's joking? Have you seen me in the morning?" She laughed when Alan playfully elbowed her again. "Come on, I'm tired and starving."

"You ate before we started hunting," Bernice said, walking to her little Volkswagen Beetle with her sister. They called out goodnight to the other four hunters who were getting into Sam's car. A prized possession he had finally convinced his grandfather to pass over. It was amazing how generous the old man got when one protected his family against vampires.

"Vampire hunting gives me an appetite." She cringed as she sat down in the passenger seat and rubbed her lower back. "Think that bitch of a vampire is gonna leave me with a bruise."

"Was it a bad fight?" Bernice asked, starting the engine. Tyres screeched against the ground as she sped off and Bridget grabbed hold of her seat.

"Not as scary as your driving," Bridget remarked and Bernice huffed in the driver's seat.

"Have you passed your test yet?"

"I haven't even taken any tests. But I'll pass. I'm pretty good when dad takes me for a lesson." She yawned again. "You know, we've been at this vampire hunting for eight months now and I'm still not used to late night hunts and getting up early for school."

"It's all the lies that's exhausting me," Bernice said. "I feel like I've totally abandoned Leon since we started getting better. I hate lying to him every time we all get together to hunt."

"Yeah, but he'll think you're on crack if you tell him the truth. And he'll end up being vampire chow if you take him on a hunt to prove everything." She reached over to pat her sister's shoulder. "The perils of a double life. It's like being Clark Kent or Batman."

Bernice laughed. "I never thought I'd hear you referencing comic books."

Bridget shrugged. "They're actually pretty cool." She nudged her sister with her elbow. "I know how you feel. There's Mom and Dad we have to lie to as well. Charlotte knows I talk to Alan more but she has no idea how much I see him now."

"Sorry, I know she's your friend but she's absolutely ridiculous. It's not like you and Alan are secretly dating behind her back. You're just really good friends. And you're out fighting vampires, for God's sake."

"She's not my friend anymore," Bridget snapped. "Bitch hasn't been my friend for months." She sighed, resting her head against the car seat as her eyelids drooped. Tomorrow she would have three classes with Charlotte and she was not looking forward to seeing her. Alan shared the same lessons and always sat with Bridget which had her former best friend sending glares at her or making snide remarks at her later in the day. If she knew she could get away with it, not be reported and end up in a shit load of trouble with the Principle, she would slap Charlotte into the next century.

_This is why I don't do all that dating shit. Boys are freaks to begin with and girls get bitchy with each other, _she thought.

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><p><strong>Thank you very much for reading and please feel free to leave a review. The next chapter will be updated this Saturday. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A Happy New Year to all! =D Hope everyone had a fantastic day/night and let's hope 2015 brings everyone an amazing year. Thank you for taking the time to read the last chapter. And thank you to everyone who favourited/followed the story.**

**RIP Edward Herrmann. So sad to hear about the loss of a great actor.**

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><p>Bridget and Alan both had the same sleepy expression on their face in. They had taken two spots in the left back corner of the classroom, slumped in their seats and struggling to keep their eyes open as their American Literature teacher drawled at the front of the class. Bridget yawned, trying to keep it as silent as possible. She covered her mouth, holding up her battered copy of <em>Death of a Salesman<em> in front of her face.

"Is school over yet?" she asked, leaning close to Alan and keeping her voice as low as possible. Another yawn escaped her.

"This is the first lesson," he answered, grinning at her and she pouted, slumping further into her seat.

"Come on, let's get this task done." He nodded to the board where their teacher was writing down their partner task and she straightened up, wincing at the sensitive bruise on her back and the thumping in her head when she moved. She groaned, one hand reaching behind to the bruise and her other hand reaching up to her temple.

"You'll be fine, soldier," Alan told her and nudged her to open her book. Charlotte turned around in front, a smile already on her face as she looked straight at Alan. Her stare hardened when she glanced at Bridget who rolled her eyes in response.

"My partner's not here today," she said and touched his hand. "Mind being a three?"

He carefully moved his hand away. "Uh, no, that's fine."

He took a quick glimpse at Bridget who was staring daggers at her former friend. He never really found out what had gone on between Charlotte and Bridget because at one point they were inseparable. They always came into the comic shop together. Like him, neither of them had many friends in school. They were each other's glue to get through the shitty hell of high school. But since summer there had been tension between them. Bridget had stopped hanging out with her and even stopped talking to her. He had noticed the cold looks shared between them and even witnessed them talking angrily to one another at the lockers. But he never knew the reasons. And he had asked Bridget at one point but she brushed it off and told him not to worry about it.

Bridget shrugged lightly. "Whatever," she mumbled.

Charlotte turned back to Alan, beaming brightly. While she had toned down all the make-up she started wearing last summer, Alan had noticed she was still much more confident in her appearance. Her pale blonde hair was always scrapped back now, away from her face and not hanging down like a pair of curtains anymore. Her make-up was subtle, enough to notice the glow it gave her but not enough to think she looked like a clown. Her style had definitely changed. She was making sure her tops were…

Alan cleared his throat, looking away.

He had done his best to get to know Charlotte more. For their junior year he had taken Bridget's request to heart, talking to Charlotte and getting to know her. But she was too forward. Too ready to laugh at anything he said, always asking about him, and taking any opportunity to touch his hand or welcome him with a hug.

And she wasn't Imogen Reece.

It was already a good morning. She was in their American Literature class and she would also be in French next. He smiled at the thought. Until a hand was in front of his face, waving up and down.

"Come on, Frog, don't zone out on me now," Bridget said. She was smirking when he turned to her, realising he had been staring out of the window.

"Right… partner task," he muttered and opened up his book.

"Presentation of one philosophy seminal to the American Identity," Bridget read out, jotting the task down into her notepad.

"Are you going to the Valentine's Dance on Friday?" Charlotte asked Alan.

"Guess I'll be doing all the work, then," Bridget mumbled and started turning to all the dog eared pages in her books.

"No, I don't really do dances," Alan replied.

She tilted her head with a playful smile on her face. "Have you_ ever_ done dances?"

"No."

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Charlotte said.

"Been to school dances much?" Bridget asked, raising an eyebrow at Charlotte whose jaw clenched as soon as soon as she said that. She kept her own expression just as hard, not showing any sign of regret at saying that to Charlotte.

"No," Charlotte said. "I've never been to a school dance. But I'd like to go before high school ends. It's part of the experience, don't you think?"

"Not really," Bridget said.

"Oh, so you don't want to get all dressed up, dance with a guy, and have a good time?"

Alan had begun to fidget in his seat, tapping his pen on the table.

Bridget sighed. "I really don't."

Charlotte shook her head, looking back at Alan who was silent and had begun to scribble in his notebook. When he glanced at up her, she smiled cheerfully and touched his hand again. He slowly took it back.

"Isn't it your birthday this Saturday?" she asked and he nodded. Her eyes brightened. "Are you doing anything for it? If not, why don't you come to the dance? With, um, me?"

Bridget had to grin in amusement as she raised an eyebrow at Alan. The poor boy seemed to have lost all colour in his face when Charlotte had asked that. His mouth opened, ready to answer but no words came out. He had lost the ability to speak and came out with strange choking noises instead. While Bridget sat hiding her smirking mouth and fighting the urge to burst into a fit of giggles, Charlotte's hopeful expression had melted into pure embarrassment as her cheeks blushed, a brilliant shade of red, and she looked away, biting at her lower lip.

"Um, it's okay if you don't want to. I was just asking… I mean, I thought you might want to make your birthday special. Sorry."

She turned back in her seat, head ducked down and reverting back to her former, shy self. She stayed hunched up working on the task by herself for the rest of the lesson. Alan didn't say anything else to her either, keeping his distance but Bridget caught him taking sneaky glimpses at Charlotte for the remaining thirty minutes. Now and again he kept reaching his hand out towards the rejected girl but as immediately as he reached out, he snatched it back and returned to his work.

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><p>"Do you think I should have said yes?" Alan asked Bridget at the end of the lesson. They trudged down the hallway together, heading straight to their French lesson.<p>

"If you had asked me last summer I would have marched you straight towards her and demanded you to actually ask her yourself."

"Back when she was your best friend and you cared about her?"

"Yep. So now, I'm saying no. But not for that reason only."

"Oh?" He glanced at her curiously and she flashed him a cheeky grin.

"Also because I see how much you drool for Imogen Reece."

He made that same choking sound he did in American Literature. "I – I don't – I don't drool!"

She snorted and gave him an unconvinced look. "C'mon. You totally get a boner for her every time you see her. And you pull this kinda look…" She stopped talking and paused in the hallway, tilting her head and letting her jaw drop and tongue hang out.

"I don't!"

"Dude, you totally do." She laughed as he ducked his head and bumped into her purposely.

"Shut up."

She pulled the face again. "Duuuuuuuuh! And don't forget the drool."

He bumped her again and she laughed, reaching up to mess his hair which caused more protested cries and stern glares that barely lasted a second before he started laughing along with her.

"And I think when you have the hots for Idiot Reece like that, it's probably a bit inappropriate to take someone you're not interested in to a dance. Especially when I know you'll be staring at the red-headed bimbo all night. Don't do that to Charlotte."

"You really don't like Imogen, do you?"

"No," she answered straight away. "She's said shit to me and Charlotte in the past and I don't care for snide bitches like her. I don't even get why you like her. She's a total bitch to you too."

"Only in front of Bobby. She's actually quite nice to me in private."

"That still doesn't make her sound decent. She may have the ability to be nice as pie but she doesn't have the balls to be that person in public because of her rich dick friends? You don't need a girl like that."

When they reached their next classroom, Alan leaned against the wall and folded his arms. His left ankle crossed over his right and he grinned at Bridget. "What kind of girl do I need, then?"

Bridget sighed. "I just think if you're going to find someone, you deserve the best. A lot of people around here don't actually know what a hero you are."

"I'm a hero?"

"Stop smirking. You look arrogant," she scolded but smiled quickly. "And yeah, you are a hero. Nobody here knows how much you've been protecting them. You're out there almost every night fighting vampires and making Santa Carla a little bit safer each time. Most of these guys would shove your head down a toilet or the girls would take one look at you and laugh and yet you're out there making sure they're not going to be another face on a missing poster. Nobody asked you to do that."

He shrugged. "It's nothing."

"That's not nothing," she said.

"It's not just me. Edgar, Sam, Bonnie, your sister… you. You're all out there with me protecting the town."

"You're all amazing," she said. "And I'm pretty bad ass too."

He chuckled. "Now who's looking arrogant?"

"I'm just saying a hero deserves someone who's going to treat them right. And Imogen doesn't." She punched his shoulder lightly. "I look out for my boys and girls, y'know?"

He swung his arm around Bridget's shoulders, pulling her closer and she rested her head against his chest. It was such a natural, friendly action they had both come to do that neither of them were thinking even once about it. Not even what it must have looked like when Charlotte came out of the girls toilets opposite and saw them.

In that second her heart was being ripped out of her chest. It wasn't the first time that had happened. A part of her felt like she had died every time she saw them both nudging each other, hugging, laughing together… doing everything that she wanted to be doing with him.

After the aching tear in her heart, her blood began to boil. She balled her hands up in tight fists and bit down on her lower lip. She focused on Bridget who leaned against Alan, happily and comfortably.

_That backstabbing bitch, _she thought.

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><p>Valentine's Dance this, Valentine's Dance that. Alan had enough about it by the time he got to the lunch table. French had been painful, hearing about how Bobby was ordering a limo for Imogen and her friends. Naturally she was going with the jock, having been glued to his side since Middle School. All the girls were laughing during the lesson, planning outfits and whose house they would be going to afterwards for an after-party.<p>

But the hype of the dance didn't even seem to escape his group of friends as he sat down. Across the table, Bonnie, Sam, Bernice and Leon were chattering excitedly about the dance. It was nice to see Bernice and Leon sitting together and actually smiling for once. But despite their smiles and eager participation in the conversation, Alan noticed there was still a small distance between them where they sat. And they kept their hands to themselves. Usually they would be holding hands but Leon kept them folded across his chest and Bernice resting on her lap. On the other side of the table, where Alan was sitting, Bridget and Edgar were eating silently and staying out of the conversation.

"I can't seem to escape this dance," Alan said. "Everyone's talking about it."

"You guys seriously aren't coming?" Sam asked.

Bridget, Edgar, and Alan stared at him with the same, poker-faced expression. "No," they answered in unison.

"Come on," Bonnie pleaded. "It'll be fun! We're quite a big group now and it'll be nice." She looked at Bridget with an expectant smile but her friend raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know why you're looking at me as if I'm going to crack first," Bridget said. "Since when have I ever been desperate to go to a dance?"

"They're pretty good," Bonnie said and pointed to Sam, and Bernice and Leon. "We went to Homecoming and it was great."

"Yeah, you really sold that," Bridget said and Bonnie pulled a face.

"You don't have to socialise. We'll stick together and be each other's dates."

Bridget smirked at Alan. "Alan got asked to the dance by Charlotte."

A silence seemed to fall on their table as all eyes turned to Alan. He froze, uncomfortable by the many gazes he was getting even if they were all his close friends and older brother. Bonnie made a shrill, squealing noise and reached over to grab at his hands but he moved them away.

She was beaming at him. "You said yes, right?"

"Not really…"

Her face fell.

"I told her I don't do that kind of thing."

Bonnie groaned, letting her head fall down to meet the table before she sat up again and gave him a disappointed frown.

"Oh, Al. She's the only girl who has ever given you that kind of attention."

"I don't like her," Alan said. "I mean, I like her as a friend… sort of. But I don't like her in that way."

"It's never going to happen with Imogen."

"I'm not waiting around for Imogen. I don't want to go to a dance with Charlotte."

Bonnie pouted, ending the conversation there but she kept glancing up at Edgar, Alan, and Bridget, hoping that three of them would change their minds. She could still have fun with Bernice, Sam, and Leon but it wouldn't be the same. She wanted all of her friends there. After all…

"I just thought it would be nice since it's my birthday on Friday," she said quietly, not looking up.

"Oh, don't you start!" Bridget warned, pointing at Bonnie who was now looking up at the three of them with puppy dog eyes and a small pout on her lips. "That's not fair."

"It's my eighteenth birthday," she continued, still using that pathetically quiet voice. "I thought we could make it special."

Next to Bridget, Edgar inhaled through his nose and in the corner of her eyes she could see his jaw tightened. Alan was looking away, avoiding Bonnie's dramatically sad expression. And Bridget…

Bridget was feeling herself crack. A groan escaping that she couldn't help. At the end of the day, she would do anything for her best girls and boys. She did like making her friends' and sister's birthdays special. The weekend before she had spent ages in the shopping mall, a place she usually liked to avoid, with Bernice trying to find the perfect presents for Bonnie. And she had taken the time to travel all the way to San Francisco for Alan's special birthday present.

"I really want you guys there. We don't have to stay for long," Bonnie said and smiled sweetly at them.

Bridget glanced at Edgar and Alan for signs of weakness as well. Bonnie did well at appealing to their sympathetic side because both their features softened and they made reluctant groans.

"Fine, we'll come," Bridget said and sighed. She didn't return Bonnie's smile as her friend clapped her hands excitedly and started to organise a spontaneous trip to the mall after school. Beside Bridget, Edgar nudged her and beckoned her and Alan closer.

"Maybe it'll draw some vamps out and we can use the dance as a hunt," he whispered, keeping an eye on Leon to make sure he wasn't overhearing. But the boy's attention was all on Bernice as they had their own quiet conversation.

"Now, that sounds like my kinda night," Bridget said, nodding and smiling at Edgar's idea.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. Please feel free to leave a review. :) Update will be next Saturday.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and took the time to read. :)**

**Elle: Thanks for reviewing! :) Yep, I've been building Charlotte upfor this story. She won't be as main a character as the vampire hunters but she's definitely important for one of the characters. ^^**

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><p>The group had split after school. Apart from Edgar and Alan, everyone else had gone straight to the mall to start their dance attire hunt, dragging along a ranting Bridget with them. The brothers had gone straight to the comic store on the Boardwalk to do their afternoon shift. Alan breathed a sigh with relief as he made his way in through the entrance to the one place he always felt comfortable and at home in. The store was almost empty and filled with comics to sneakily read in between jobs. Absolutely perfect. Uncle Gerry was busy switching some comics around in the aisle and clipping new issues up. Their father worked the till, attending to the shops' sole customer and gave the boys a brief nod when they came in. Only Edgar returned it.<p>

"You don't look well, Dad," Edgar commented, walking around the counter and he dumped his bag on a chair near the television. His eyebrows knitted together in a frown, taking in his father's pale, gaunt face. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses but Edgar knew they were covering dark shadows.

"I'm fine, son. Just a cold."

"Maybe you should rest."

Their father smiled, peering at his eldest son over his round sunglasses. Edgar could just about see his father's smile behind his long, bushy beard and moustache.

"I can do a couple more hours. I've been working most of the morning and I've managed that." He thanked the customer politely as he handed the boy a plastic bag full of comics and turned to pat Edgar on the shoulder when the boy left.

"How was school?" He looked towards Alan who had settled himself against the counter, nose already buried in a Spider Man comic. He still kept his smile when the youngest Frog glanced up after sensing eyes on him but Alan didn't return the cheerful expression. He shrugged, looking back down at his comic.

"Fine," he mumbled.

"We're going to the dance on Friday," Edgar added.

Mr Frog laughed. "The Valentine's Day Dance? You two?"

"It's Bonnie's birthday that day as well. She's using it as a celebration."

"Far out!" Their father said, beaming at the boys. "It's nice to see you two with more friends and doing this kind of stuff. You'll have a blast. It was the Valentine's Day Dance where I had one of my first dates with your mom, you know. We had our first dance to Love Affair." He pointed to his sons as he left the counter with a grin. "You never know. You could meet your future wife there."

Edgar wrinkled his nose as Alan continued to read his comic but there was a clear redness in his younger brother's cheeks. At his sons' obvious distaste in the idea of dating and girls, Mr Frog laughed out and left the boys at the counter to go into the storeroom at the back. But since the mention of the Valentine's Day dance, he was now shuffling his way to the room singing Everlasting Love.

"I'd rather single-handedly fight five vampires at once," Edgar said with a small grunt of disapproval. "I guess some good will come out of this dance if we can use it to hunt. We'll take it as a job."

"I don't think the school will pay us for keeping guard," Alan said with an amused smile.

"Cheapskates," Edgar muttered. He nodded when a couple of comics appeared in front of him on the counter. Moving the first one aside to see what else the customer chose, Edgar nodded in approval and started to tap in the price.

"Daredevil issues one hundred and eighty four and one hundred and eighty five. Good choices," he said to the girl.

"Two of Frank Miller's best," Alan added. "Oh, that reminds me…" He moved away from the counter, going straight to the Batman section on the other side of the aisle. He quickly collected a thicker comic and brought it over to the counter with some of his money.

"We've already got The Dark Knights Returns," Edgar said. "We have that exact volume."

"No, this is for Bridget. Bonnie introduced her to Batman recently and she's hooked. I thought she might like this miniseries." He counted his money carefully.

"Get the girl to pay for her own comics," Edgar muttered.

"It's a gift," he answered and frowned at his brother's shaking head. "What?"

"Never mind," Edgar sighed, gathering the correct change."

"I was looking for Days of Future Past as well. That X-Men storyline," the customer said.

"We don't have that in stock at the moment." He carefully slipped the comics in a bag and handed it to her along with her change. "Sorry."

She shook her head, black hair gently bouncing as she did, and she poked her slipping glasses back up her nose. "No worries," she said and walked out, taking out one of the comics to read already. When she was around the corner, she looked back once with a sneer and tossed the bag into the bin along with her glasses. Her posture changed, straightening her back and taking on a cat-like grace as she slinked past humans and marched straight to the railings. She stood next to a boy who looked about sixteen, still with his smooth, boyish features but his cold, brown eyes looked much older. The breeze blew at his dark hair as he stared out into the calm ocean, reflecting the black of the night sky above.

"You were quick," he said. "I needed you to properly observe the Frogs."

"Found out something better," she replied, smiling at him. "There's a dance on at the high school. They're all going to be there for _vampire hunting_." She laughed at the idea, shaking her head.

"Something funny, Ruby?"

"They look like a pair of idiotic kids. Weak and probably don't know which is the right end of the stake. Seriously, Logan? These are the Frog brothers?"

Logan raised an eyebrow at his blood sister. "Those idiotic kids killed a whole pack of vampires last summer and in these last eight months have been staking vampire after vampire successfully. And they're not alone. There's a whole gang of them hunting down our kind. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Ruby shrugged, twirling a lock of black hair around her finger. "_Almost_ killed a whole pack. Marko survived."

"Barely. You're making the same mistake Marko's pack made. They underestimated those teenagers and set out to kill them without a plan. If you want to be able to kill your enemies, you need to do your research. Don't waltz in and improvise."

"We've been watching them for eight months," Ruby said. "I think it's time to start acting."

"I'll go to this dance then. See what we can use." He suddenly grinned, correcting himself quickly. "_Who _we can use."

Ruby didn't return his grin, still in the mood for arguing. "Just do something, Logan," she said. "Marko's getting impatient. And so is your father."

"I will," Logan snapped. "Am I the only one here who knows how to have a bit of fun with revenge?"

"I think you're mistaking fun for procrastinating," Ruby muttered and Logan elbowed her.

"You two kids have no creativity," he said and nodded for her to follow him through the crowds of the Boardwalk. They dodged people easily, eyes scanning for a possible meal later on in the night. At the sign of the Boardwalk, Marko stood by himself. He was silent, arms folded and his expression was serious and blank. It still stung every time he came onto the Boardwalk, now that he was fully healed. Just near the sign there were some railings and that was one of the spots he used to lurk near with David, Dwayne, and Paul. It seemed empty now, bare without the four of them hanging out and observing the crowds around them. He glanced back, still quiet as Logan and Ruby joined him. While Logan had taken him into their small pack, helping him gain back his strength and promising that he was going to help Marko make those hunters pay for killing his family, he couldn't quite get attached to them.

Logan smirked as he came up to Marko, a smirk that reminded him too much of David. But Logan wasn't David. It was hard to have respect for a vampire who even looked younger than those brat hunters he wanted to see torn to pieces. David led but he never controlled and Logan had this problem. His pack, his rules. That was the way it was. After eight months, those hunters were still alive and Logan didn't seem to mind this. Apparently it took time to make sure the revenge plan was perfect. And maybe he did have to take a couple of months to properly heal from his injuries. But after that, they should have acted. Instead, he had to stay away from Santa Carla to make sure he wasn't spotted by the hunters who still thought they had killed him in that cave. But now he was back and too much time had been spent letting those brats run about.

"There's a dance on at the high school," Logan said to Marko. "I'm going there to see what I can find out."

"There's nothing to find out," Marko said. "Just track them down one by one and kill them."

"Killing them is too easy."

Marko growled, looking away irritated. "Killing them is what they deserve."

"I've told you. A whole group of friends going missing will look too suspicious. Split them up. Turn them against each other. It's enough."

"It's a weak revenge."

Logan laughed, slapping Marko on the back. "Just be patient and watch. It's perfect."

"Maybe I'm fed up of being patient. If nothing gets done, I'm sorting it out myself," Marko warned and Logan's cheery face disappeared. He leaned closer, looking down on the short vampire and scowled.

"If you go around on a murdering spree you'll get us exposed. Even after last summer you're still wanting to act recklessly. Use your head for once, kid. Don't forget. If I think you're a danger to this pack or to vampires in general, I don't mind getting rid of you."

Marko scowled back, narrowing his eyes. He couldn't match Logan's height but he could match that stare. He shrugged casually and kept his glare until Logan backed away and returned to smirking.

"You need to learn that killing is an easy option. I'm sure your old pack used to like a bit of messing around. Fucking with someone until they crack."

"Meals," Marko said. "We played our games but that was just a bit of fun for feeding. If anyone was a threat, we killed them immediately."

"Then it's time to learn what the best revenge really is for a hunter. They're not afraid of dying. They're out there risking their lives already. If they die, they die a hero. So why give them that? If you want to mess them up, then there's only one way to really fuck them up. Let them find out what's it's like to be turning into the thing they loathe the most."

Marko scoffed. "You're out of your mind if you think I'd let one of those brats in this pack."

"Good thing this is _my _pack then and I make the decisions," Logan said. "Tough shit, Marko. I've already got an idea of which hunter I'm having some fun with."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave a review. They're always much appreciated. :) Update will be next Saturday.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and read the last chapter! And to new followers/favourites. :)  
><strong>

**Elle: Thank you for your review, hun. ^^**

* * *

><p>On Friday, Bridget and Bernice waited on the grass outside their school building, ready and prepared to spot Bonnie and pounce on her for a birthday hug. They hadn't brought presents, being told to wait until tomorrow for part two of her birthday celebrations and Alan's secret surprise party. Bonnie wanted a few presents to open so Alan didn't have to suffer all the attention on him They had, however, brought a silver helium balloon that had the number eighteen on it in pink and a badge.<p>

"Just in case she forgets her age?" Leon joked, coming up to the sisters and nodded to the balloon and badge. Bernice jumped at his voice, not expecting someone to be sneaking behind her. For a second, she felt herself tense as if she was on a vampire hunt but she quickly relaxed when she recognised Leon's voice. She fully turned and flashed him a wide smile. Bridget cringed a little at her sister's smile. Poor Bernice probably thought she was looking friendly but to Bridget it looked slightly awkward. A forced smile she had been showing Leon a lot at the moment. Next came the silence between them as they continued to smile like old friends who didn't really know what to say to each other anymore.

Bridget honestly thought for a bunch of teenagers they had been doing well in their hunts. Maybe being honest with Leon wouldn't be so bad. They'd have another hunter and numbers were always a good thing. Looking at their gang, none of them really looked like they would be capable. Bridget especially glanced at her sister who always wore dresses or skirts to school, even when they were in the middle of winter. And despite being eighteen years old, Bernice still liked to accessorise with bows in her hair. She didn't look like she stalked the night, staking vampire after vampire. Then there was Bonnie who was the tiniest out of them all, only reaching five foot one before she stopped growing indefinitely. And with her relapses, she couldn't train or hunt as much as them. But she managed. She hunted when she could.

They all managed. And maybe Leon could.

But Bernice insisted. She couldn't be able to focus without worrying about his safety all the time. That was one of the first things she spoke up about when they began to hunt together. Leon wasn't to be involved at all.

But now here they both were, standing and smiling forcefully at each other with their relationship on the brink of breaking up.

And still not talking to each other.

"To help advertise her birthday," Bridget said, putting an end to the silence. "C'mon, Lee, you were her dance partner for five years. She still thinks her birthday should be an official holiday."

"True. Now that I think about it, I don't think this will be enough," he said, grinning,

"Told you we should have bought three of these," Bernice said, nodding to the balloon. She giggled and glanced at Leon who smiled back. Part of their tension thankfully seemed to disappear.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked and nodded to the benches. Bernice glanced at Bridget who smiled and held her hand out for the balloon.

"I'll take it," she said, reaching for it. Bernice smiled gratefully at her younger sister and handed it over. Her heart was racing as she turned back to Leon and followed him to talk privately. She noticed he wasn't offering her his hand or his arm like he usually did and she felt her stomach churn. It was hard not to rack her brain, trying to analyse his actions and thinking about what he wanted to say. There was a sick realisation that Leon was about to break up with her. Maybe he was finally sick of hardly getting to see her anymore.

Leon had sat down and she stayed standing, looking at him wide eyed and expectantly. She wasn't quite sure what to do until he patted the seat next to him and she did.

"Hi," he said, smiling.

_Oh good, _she thought. _He's smiling. That's a good sign. It has to be a good sign. _

"Hi," she replied.

"Feels like I haven't seen you much this week. Actually, kinda feels like I haven't seen you a lot. Not for a while."

She nodded. January and February had been the same routine. School… hunt… school… hunt. Since last month there had been more disappearances than usual. After last summer defeating that pack of vampires, Santa Carla had been quiet. There was still the odd disappearance but not as bad as it had been in the past. But after Christmas, the number of missing people increased again. And when the disappearances increased, so did their hunts.

But it meant having to juggle work, school, and hunting. In doing so, she found herself never being able to fit Leon into her life.

"Things got a bit hectic," she said.

"So it's not me? I was worried you felt differently after your birthday."

"No!" She straightened and took his hands. "Honestly, it's not you. And definitely not after my birthday. I had the best time." Her cheeks reddened and she smiled. She hoped he see could how much she truly meant that. She loved spending her eighteenth with her friends and sister but the following night, when it had just been the two of them at his house, had been the most perfect thing about her celebrations.

Leon was looking flushed as well. Both of them looked like twin tomatoes. "Was worried you'd regretted it. You did get distant after your birthday."

"I'm sorry," she said. "Things are getting on top of me at the moment and I'm struggling to balance it all. I swear, that's all it is. I think I'm just panicking over college. Need to get the grades to go to Washington."

He suddenly grinned, a cocky, toothy grin that was typical Leon and she realised how much she had missed seeing that. He nudged her playfully.

"Things are getting on top of you, huh?"

She gawped, suddenly feeling heat on her cheeks and she slapped him teasingly on the arm. "Oh, stop!" She laughed and buried her head in her hands. When she felt him shuffle over and put an arm around her waist, she smiled and glanced back up at him.

"I'm not being a very good girlfriend at the moment," she admitted. "But I love you. Please know that."

"You sure?" he asked.

She nodded. A sharp, determined nod. "One hundred and ten per cent. I love you and tonight we're going to spend time together. You're still coming to the dance, right?"

"If you still want to go with me."

Her fingers reached up to brush at his cheek, sweeping away strands of shaggy brown hair.

"Of course," she said.

With a bright smile, she made the first move to lean in and catch his lips with her own. But despite kissing him and smiling genuinely now, her stomach still churned. She wasn't quite sure how much longer she could keep him assured of her feelings.

* * *

><p>By the time the bell rang and announced the much anticipated weekend, the amateur vampire hunters had gathered wearily outside school, excited for the next two days off but also shattered by the juggling of school life and vampire hunting. Bonnie had spent most of the morning bouncing around school, grinning at the polite acknowledgements to her birthday and rambling on about the forthcoming evening. But now she was slouched in her posture, straight faced and yawning. She was sitting on a bench, rubbing at her legs and hardly talking.<p>

Bernice nodded to her. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Okay."

Bernice nudged her. "_How are you feeling_?"

Bonnie gave her a slight smile and sighed. "In pain. I started with another relapse around lunch."

Bernice beckoned her friend over, stretching out her arm and Bonnie accepted it, leaning into her best friend. Bernice never said anything else about it, going for comforting gestures instead.

"Sorry," she said to Bonnie.

"It's fine. Part of my life now, I guess." She waved a hand. "I'm still going tonight, even if I have to hobble around on my crutches. Nothing is keeping me from celebrating my birthday and that especially includes vampires and MS." She used Bernice as a support while she stood to greet Sam, Bridget, and the Frog brothers.

"So, the plan," she began, ignoring the groans from Bridget, Edgar, and Alan. "Bernie and Brid at mine, and Sam at Edgar and Alan's. Mom said I can have you all over for dinner first before we get ready if you wanted but two conditions. I have to cook and also clear up all the mess." She pulled a face at the thought of spending her birthday evening cooking and clearing up.

"So take out then?" Bridget asked, grinning.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

Her friend rubbed her hands together. "Awesome. I've been craving a Papa Mario's garlic pizza."

Edgar snorted next to her. "Garlic breath for vampires?"

"And for any dude who tries to annoy me by asking me to dance." She sighed, preparing herself for the forthcoming dance and nodded to Bernice's car. "Alright, let's start these preparations for hell."

"Oh, thanks," Bonnie said and scoffed. "That 'hell' _is _part of my birthday celebration."

Bridget laughed, swinging her arm around Bonnie's shoulders. "I'm kidding. I guess it won't be that bad."

* * *

><p>"I take it back," Bridget said. "This is hell."<p>

She stood in front of Bonnie's full length mirror. At the mall, she had finally giving in to buying a dress after Bonnie had ranted over her intention to go wearing jeans as a form of protest. She searched high and low for a Bridget dress and finally found one that she liked and not only suited her body but also her personality. It had taken a nightmarish two hours but if she was being forced to go in a stupid dress then at least she had one that would make her look cool and hopefully save her reputation.

But as she stood in Bonnie's room, gazing at herself in the mirror she suddenly felt awkward in her new dress. Her arms, all the way up to her shoulders, were bare and so was most of her chest.

_I've changed my mind. This dress is horrible! I'm practically naked!_

It really wasn't a horrible dress. It was strapless, the top part that covered her upper body was bodice style and plain black. She liked the simplicity of it when she saw it in the shop. No fuss whatsoever. The bodice was sewed onto a rara skirt, four layers and polka dot. Again, nice and plain enough for her. It was short but not short enough she was worried about anyone seeing her underwear by accident. Still, she had thought it would be best to put some thick black tights on. It was also a way of hiding her legs which were paler than the rest of her body for lack of sun exposure.

But it was not enough. She _hated _her attire.

"You look fine," Bernice said, adjusting the ruffles on her dress. She had chosen an off the shoulder one, long so it almost hid her feet with large ruffles on the strap. Bridget thought it was hideous when she first saw it but it suited her sister who turned left and right to admire her outfit. In fact, her sister looked amazing, especially with her blonde hair styled smooth and flicking out to the sides in a Farrah Fawcett style.

Bridget glanced at Bonnie who was busy choosing her jewellery. She had gone for a short dress too, not wanting to look like her tiny figure was drowning in a full length one. It was pink, of course, and spaghetti strapped, tight and fitting around her chest and waist and then loose over her legs, reaching just above her knees and swishing every time she moved. There was a black net underlay peeking out. The thick layers and bangs of her copper hair were crimped, adding volume.

Why did they have to look amazing and she didn't?

Bridget tugged at her hair. It was more tousled than usual and Bernice had styled it, sweeping it all over to the left side of her head and keeping it there with ridiculous amounts of hairspray. As for make-up Bridget had stuck with her trusty eyeliner and dark eye shadow. But then Bonnie had ruined it by putting heavy pink blush on her cheeks.

"Stop pouting. You look amazing," Bernice said.

Bridget shrugged and slipped on few gold bracelets and her leather jacket. At least she got to wear her jacket and her favourite boots. She was counting the hours she could get out of this awful clothing and throw on her trusty jeans and band t-shirts. She followed her sister and Bonnie out when they were ready where Mrs Casey had a huge beam on her face as she came down the stairs to see the girls off.

"You all look fantastic!" she said with a beam. "Stand closer together girls. I want a photo of this."

Bonnie moved into the middle, throwing her arms around Bridget and Bernice. The girls leaned in, cheeks almost touching, and flashed their best smiles as Mrs Casey took a picture and waited for it to come out. She waved a hand at them when the doorbell rang.

"If that's the boys, I want another photo of you all," she said as Bonnie went to open the door.

Her smile fell at the sight of Edgar, Alan, and Sam.

"Khaki? Really?" Bonnie put her hands on her hips and scowled at the Frog brothers. "This is supposed to be a dance and you two still look like you're dressed for war."

Edgar gestured to his long sleeved khaki shirt, a lighter one compared to his brother's darker shade. "It's a smart shirt. You didn't tell us what to wear."

"We put ties on," Alan said.

She sighed and shook her head, gesturing them in. Her eyebrows raised as Sam followed, stopping to beam at her and gesture to his clothes.

"I dressed up," he said. "What d'ya think?"

She looked him up and down, especially taking in the leopard print sweater vest he wore.

"I think you've been watching Ferris Bueller too much," she answered.

"Nothing wrong with that. Ferris Bueller has style."

"I beg to differ," she muttered as Sam walked in and smiled at Leon's traditional black and white tuxedo. "Finally, someone who looks like they're going to a dance!"

Leon grinned, taking a dramatic bow. "By golly, I never miss an opportunity to dress up for a night on the town," he said, putting on a posh English accent. "Even though it's really just a school hall we're off too, but… eh." he added with a shrug, resuming his normal American accent.

"Can we get going?" Edgar asked, pulling at his tie with a frown on his face.

"Let me get a photo of you all," Mrs Casey said and gestured with her hands for them to stand closer to one another. Bernice moved so she was next to Leon and, although hesitant as first, she snaked her arms around him as he held her waist. Bridget kept her arms folded, giving a small huff but forced a smile on her face. Alan stood next to her. When he faced the camera, he didn't smile. Instead he looked slightly red in his cheeks and hunched up. He hated how those cameras seemed to stare back at him, putting pressure on him to look cheerful and smile. Not that he was a complete grump. He was simply never a smiley person. But when he glanced at Bridget, flashing her own forced and faltering smile he grinned.

"You look happy," he teased.

She huffed and elbowed his side gently. "Would you be happy if you were forced to wear this atrocity?"

"I think you look great," he said and smiled to show her he meant it.

Her cheeks reddened. "Really?"

"Really."

She smiled back, properly now, and edged closer to him as Mrs Casey took the picture.

"Perfect," Mrs Casey smiled when she took the picture. "Have fun, kids. Bonnie, take your crutches. Don't limp around like that." She didn't let her daughter go without a hug and a kiss on the cheek to which Bonnie gave a cry of protest over but her mother simply laughed.

"Have fun and be safe!" she said, waving them out.

They separated into the two cars. Leon, Bridget and Bonnie took Bernice's car while Sam had offered to give the Frog brothers a ride. Bernice had already taken off with her tyres making a frightening screech but the three boys stayed put to double check the provisions they had brought with them. Edgar took the lead, getting out a list.

"Okay, weapons check. Stakes?"

"Yep," Alan said.

"Holy Water?"

Sam nodded. "Lots of it."

"Crosses?"

"Check," Alan said.

"Crossbow."

Sam grinned, stroking his beloved crossbow. "Wouldn't go anywhere without it."

Edgar put away the list. "Good. We'll have to keep them in the car but at least they're nearby." He slammed the boot down and fiddled with his tie again. He scowled as the god-awful thing felt like it was choking him. His shirt was awkwardly tucked into his trousers and his long sleeves felt stiff. The whole outfit was uncomfortable and made him feel like he couldn't move around easily.

"Right." Edgar sighed as the boys jumped into the car. "Let's see what hell looks like."


	5. Chapter 5

Hell was a loud band, girls squealing at each other's dresses, dazzling lights, and students trying to hide the fact that they were already drunk.

Hell also came in the form of horrendous pink and red decorations.

Edgar and Alan froze in the entrance to the hall and both gazed around with their upper lips curled up in matching disgust. They glanced at each other once and both could tell what the other was thinking. Was it possible to change their minds and run back home?

The doors leading to the hall had a red beaded curtain hanging from it. Not too bad compared to the rest of the decorations. Red, pink, and white rose petals had been scattered across the floor and there was a table set up where juice and fizzy pop had been spread out. The plastic cups even had the same colour scheme.

When they glanced up, large pink and red hearts hung down from the ceiling with curly ribbon and helium filled balloons. Triangular bunting had been stuck on over the stage where the band was playing with the message 'Be My Valentine'. One letter for each piece of bunting.

Alan leaned towards his brother. "Remember when we thought vampires were the worst evil?"

Edgar shuddered. "I hate Valentine's Day."

With a brief nod at each other they gritted their teeth and marched in, over towards where their friends stood. Leon and Bernice were already on the dance floor, smiling at each other as they slowly stepped along to a slow song. Both looked completely in their own world with their eyes focused on one another.

Bonnie was swaying to the song in a chair, smiling happily as she took in the hall around her and commented on how amazing everything looked to Sam. He also had a huge smile on his face, already pleased with the evening. Edgar and Alan joined Bridget who stood with her arms folded and gazed around in boredom.

"Having fun?" Alan asked Bridget, laughing when her eyebrows rose and the left corner of her upper lip tugged up. "That was exactly my expression when I walked in."

He leaned against the wall, arms folded and looked around. The five of them were the only ones who weren't dancing. Everyone else had seemed to have found a partner or were dancing in a group, smiling and laughing. Some couples were already sucking face with each other. Alan heard his brother make a half groaning, half gagging sound, and knew Edgar must have caught sight of the same couples. He snorted and grinned at his older brother but that quickly disappeared when he spotted Imogen Reece near the stage. She was dancing with Bobby Denton, arms around his neck and looking absolutely smitten with him. Alan stiffened, watching Bobby lean towards Imogen to whisper something in her ear, something that made her smile widen, before tenderly kissing her lips. She happily responded back.

He looked away, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"Does anyone want a drink?" he asked, raising his voice a little as the song ended and all the students loudly cheered the band.

Everyone raised a hand apart from Edgar who eyed up the refreshments table.

"I don't accept drinks from other people. Could easily be contaminated." He glanced at Alan. "You shouldn't be drinking from other sources, you know."

Alan didn't respond to Edgar's warning, walking over to the table with Bridget who offered to help and asked two students for four colas.

"Wow, Bridget, I'm impressed!"

They both turned, facing Imogen and her friend, Peg. Alan froze, unable to take his eyes of his crush. He knew he probably looked stupid, standing there mouth agape and blatantly checking out her appearance. Her dark red hair was wild, combed back to add more volume and tousled like Bridget's with wisps of her bangs lightly covering her forehead. Her eye shadow was a brilliant mix of pink, purple and blue, flicking out and upwards sharply from the outer corner of her eyes, colourfully contrasting against the hazel of her eyes, which were outlined with jet black eyeliner. Her cheekbones, already high and defined to begin with, looked sharper with the heavy smear of pink blush and her make-up look was finished by glossy pink lipstick. Her dress was almost similar to Bridget's. Same black bodice top and short skirt but it was only layered twice, red, and puffed out a bit more at the hips. There was also a large black bow sticking out on the left where the bodice and skirt met.

She looked incredible.

"Staring much, Frog?" Peg asked, flashing him a disgusted look. Imogen met his eyes once and she smiled, blushing slightly and laughed when he quickly looked away.

"Excuse us," Bridget snapped, taking two plastic cups of cola and nudging at Alan. She gestured back to their friends and started to walk but Imogen moved in front of her.

"You're actually wearing a dress. It's nice to see you looking like a girl for once," she said. She was smiling but there was mockery in her eyes. Peg was biting her lip, fighting back a snicker as she gave Bridget the once over who sighed.

"Breaking news," she muttered. "Do you mind fucking off and not talking to me?"

"There's no need to be rude. I was just complimenting you."

"Like hell. You've never complimented me in your life."

"You look amazing," Alan blurted out to Imogen, immediately clamping his lips shut. Peg burst out into a giggling fit while Imogen, for a second, looked stunned at his comment. But then her features softened and she smiled.

"Thanks, Alan. You look nice too."

"Looks like an actual human being, for sure," Bobby said, walking up to them. He smirked as he slid an arm around Imogen's shoulders and raised an eyebrow up at Alan. "I'm not sure I like how much you're staring at my girl, Frog."

"Bobby, he was being polite," Imogen said and cast a sharp glance at Bridget. "More polite than some."

Bridget's lips turned up in her own smirk. "It's been a while since I last bitch slapped you, hasn't it?"

"You're not gonna do a thing to her," Bobby warned, making a step towards Bridget but Alan quickly moved in between them. He stared down at Alan in surprise before bursting out into laughter. "Knight in shining armour, are you?"

"Nobody is going to do anything," Alan said, holding his gaze on Bobby. "We're keeping away if you're keeping away."

Bobby held his hands up. "I'm just protecting my girl, Frog."

"And I'm just protecting mine – I mean, friend! I'm protecting my friend!"

There was more snickering from Peg and Imogen. Even Bobby had to grin. He snorted once and started to lead Imogen away who whispered in Peg's ear and giggled with her as they looked back at Bridget and Alan. Alan stood there, cheeks burning and mouth agape as he turned to Bridget.

"I didn't mean to say that!" he said. "Sorry, I was just sticking up for you. I mean, you're not my girl, obviously, because you're my friend. My best friend. I honestly –."

"Alan, you're a dweeb sometimes," she said with a grin.

He ducked his head, face red, and grabbed the other two colas as he followed Bridget silently to Edgar. Sam had finally given in to the music and had joined Bernice and Leon to a much faster song, loud and full of distorted sounds from the band's synthesizer. Bridget and Alan leaving Sam's on the table next time while Edgar scanned the hall, eyes narrowed.

"Copped for a bloodsucker, yet?" Bridget asked and passed a cup to Bonnie.

"No, just the familiar faces of our peers and teachers." He eyed her cola. "Is that safe?"

She held it out to him so he could sniff it once even though she was probably sure he had no idea what vampire blood smelt like to begin with.

"Smells like cola," he said and she took a sip with a smirk.

"Tastes like cola too," she added.

"I think we're safe," Bonnie said, grinning up at Edgar. "Hey, I saw Bobby come up to you at the refreshments." She peered past Bridget to look at Alan. "You okay?"

Alan shrugged. "No big deal. He wasn't being much of a dick."

"Remember, we're on a hunt," Edgar said. "Don't be getting knocked unconscious by a school bully."

"I don't think he'll be bothering with me much tonight." He glanced over at Bobby who still had his arms wrapped around Imogen. They had stopped dancing now, grouping up with Peg and a couple of other jocks from Bobby's football team. They were all laughing and chattering happily to one another but Alan couldn't stop taking his eyes of how Imogen snuggled up to Bobby, resting one hand on his chest.

Beside him, Bridget sighed. "Are you going to be drooling over her all night?"

"I'm not drooling."

"You look like a rejected puppy. She's with Bobby, Al. Always has been and always will be."

"Speaking off looking rejected, Charlotte isn't looking too happy either," Edgar said, nodding in her direction.

"Oh, no. I told her I don't go to dances," Alan said. "And now I've come with other people after telling her no. Shit, I didn't think. How pissed off does she look?" He kept his eyes on the floor.

"She looks like she's about to start crying."

"Shit," Alan hissed. He put his cola down. "I should go explain." He glanced at Bridget who held her hands up.

"You're on your own, here. I'm not going anywhere near that crazy bitch."

Alan groaned but started towards Charlotte despite his small sound of reluctance. Like Edgar had said, she looked on the verge on tears. Her chin was shaking. Her eyes looked watery. But she held herself together as Alan came closer, biting at her bottom lip to stop it quivering.

"Hey," he said, with a weak smile.

Charlotte mumbled a reply back, unable to help glimpsing at Bridget.

"I thought you didn't go to dances."

"I don't. But it's Bonnie's birthday today and she kept making a fuss about us all going tonight and I really don't want to be here but she's one of my best friends and…" his voice trailed off as he realised how fast he was talking. He cleared his throat.

"Bonnie wanted this to be her birthday celebration," he said, slowly.

"No, I understand," Charlotte said.

"If it wasn't her birthday, I honestly wouldn't be here. It's not you."

She nodded, giving him a small smile. "It's okay." She nodded to his clothes. "You look very smart."

"Thanks. You look nice too."

Her eyes flickered over to the dance floor and then back to Alan. "Do you want to dance?"

"Um…"

She sighed and looked away. "Forget I asked."

"No, sorry, it's –."

"It isn't your thing," she finished for him.

"Not really," he said. "You can come hang with us if you want. We're just…" He turned back to Bonnie, Edgar and Bridget. "Sort of standing there, doing nothing."

"That sounds… fun."

"Well, there's Sam and…" He looked at Bernice and Leon who were still embraced and kissing now and again. If Sam noticed he didn't seem to react to their public display of affection as he danced near them. "I'm sure Sam wouldn't mind a partner."

"I don't really know him that well," Charlotte said and shrugged, giving an idle wave. "It's cool. Don't worry." She flashed another small smile and turned, going back to a group of girls Alan recognised from his lessons. She never looked back and Alan, with a sigh, trudged back over to Bridget, Bonnie and Edgar.

"That looked unbearably awkward," Bridget said.

"This whole thing is unbearably awkward," Alan muttered.

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><p>Logan slinked into the hall. It had been easy to control the teachers, handing them an invisible ticket that they dumbly accepted and wished him a good night, as if he had always been one of their own. He adjusted his tie and tugged at the end of his sleeves. As soon as he walked in, he caught sight of one of the Frog brothers, the younger one with the darker hair sauntering away with red cheeks from a girl in a pink, puffy sleeved dress. She shuffled back to her group of friends, only looking back once after a few minutes when Alan was back with his older brother and another girl. He kept his eyes on this girl, an unfamiliar one. Not one he had seen on a hunt with them or at the comic store where this pathetic little gang of hunters usually gathered. He watched carefully as she finally turned to look back at Alan and noticed she gave a sigh, quickly giving herself the once over before gazing at Alan again. Her eyes kept flickering elsewhere. Dance floor… back to Alan… dance floor… Then she looked at the other girl the Frog brothers stood with. Brown, tousled hair… fierce look… permanent frown on her mouth. That must be… it was another B… Bridget. That was her name. Bridget. As soon as this blonde haired girl gazed at Bridget her soft features hardened, especially when Alan leaned into Bridget to say something and she laughed. His hand gently touched her upper arm and Logan glanced back at the other girl. Tears glistened in her eyes and spun back to her friends.<p>

Logan grinned. When she moved over to the refreshments table, he casually walked over. He nodded to one student and asked for a cola while Charlotte glumly stared at the choice of drinks. He moved closer and when she glanced up at him he flashed his most charming smile.

"It seems wrong that you don't look happy at a Valentine's Day dance," he said.

Charlotte peered over her shoulder. Straight to Alan and Bridget.

"My Valentine isn't exactly working out."

Logan followed her gaze. "Giving his attention to the wrong dame?"

"Something like that." She sighed and Logan set his drink down.

"How about a dance?" he asked, offering his arm. When she stared up at him in surprise he smiled and gave a short bow which earned a laugh in response.

"I don't think I've seen you before," she said.

"I'm a senior," he replied. "And I just moved here."

"I can tell by your accent," she said and accepted his hand. She bit her lip to stop herself from grinning too much as Logan led on her onto the dance floor as another slow song began. He gripped her waist as she reached up to rest her hand on his shoulder and she stared up at this strange boy. He was very handsome. Very tall and thin as he towered over her with dark hair. Darker than Alan's. He was pale with a boyish face and a bright smile.

"Brooklyn," he said, guiding her smoothly across the dance floor. "My name is Logan."

"Charlotte," she answered with a smile.

"There we go! A smile on your face," he said and she laughed. "A guy who gives you a frown like the one you had on ain't worth your time."

"I know," she said, sighing. "Can't help attraction sometimes. That girl he's with, Bridget, used to be my best friend."

"She betrayed you."

Charlotte nodded. "She keeps saying there's nothing between them, and maybe she really believes that, but he acts differently around her. He always has. It used to be like dragging teeth out getting Alan to have a conversation with me but straight away he talked to Bridget. And now eight months later they're almost inseparable."

She looked their way again. Alan was leaned past Bridget to whisper something to Edgar now but she noticed how his hand still rested on her upper arm again as he moved forward to his brother.

"He's always touching her like that," she added. "He doesn't do that with any other girl. Not even Bonnie who's known him for years. I don't get it. Why her? I'm the only girl who has ever showed an interest in him. And all he ever does is ignore it."

She suddenly snorted, shaking her head and looking up at Logan. "I'm sorry. I've just met you and I'm rambling on about some guy."

He smiled. "You're entitled to rant, doll," he said, making his voice sound gentle. "Sounds like he doesn't appreciate the way you feel."

He took his hand off her waist to gingerly touch her chin and he locked eyes with her, chuckling when her gaze was held and there was a slight daze to them.

"You seem way out of his league, anyway," he whispered and she smiled at him. "I think the kid needs telling."

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading! If you would like to leave a review, please feel free! :) Next chapter will be up and posted next Saturday.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last two chapters as well as a big thanks to new followers/favourites.**

**Elle: Glad you enjoyed the last chapters. Thanks for reviewing.**

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><p>Bridget hadn't even let the next boy ask her anything before she glared sharply at him and held up a hand.<p>

"No," she snapped.

The boy halted in his tracks, his hopeful smile disappearing off his face and he suddenly looked like she had gone straight up to him and slapped him in.

"No?" he repeated.

"No."

"I was just going to ask you to dance," he said, gesturing to the dance floor.

"No. Run along."

He shook his head, mumbling an insult under his breath and trudged away rejected. Edgar and Alan shared amused smirks, not fighting back their snickering while Bridget placed her hands on her hips, sighing in frustration.

"That's the second one to bug me for a dance. Doesn't anyone know me? God, it's like I look approachable or something."

"You do march around looking like Joan Jett a lot of the times, who is pretty scary," Edgar said.

"And tonight you actually look kinda tame and normal," Alan added.

Bridget pulled a face and looked down at herself. "My reputation is ruined."

She pouted when Bonnie came back to join them, unsuccessfully trying to hide her wincing as she sat down on a chair. She had finally given into her stubbornness, wanting to have at least one dance because this was supposed to be a special night and she wasn't going to let MS ruin that. Sam had offered to dance to a song with her but she had only been gone for a few seconds, now returning with her face scrunched up in pain. She sighed, slumping back into her seat.

"Bonnie, guys are asking me to dance!" Bridget whined.

Her friend's jaw hung open dramatically and her voice oozed with sarcasm. "Oh my God, that's freaking terrible! How dare they?"

"I'm being serious," Bridget said, folding her arms.

"Enjoy it! You look amazing and people are responding positively to it," Bonnie said, grinning at her friend. "Anyway, I'm probably going to bail soon. I don't feel great."

"I got you another cola," Bridget said, passing the drink to her and Bonnie took it, nodding gratefully. Smiling, Bridget sat down next to her friend and put an arm around her. "Still had a good time despite it all?"

Bonnie nodded, grinning at her and the Frog brothers. "I know this isn't your idea of fun but it means a lot that you came. You guys are the best. And I promise tomorrow won't be as tormenting." She clutched Bridget's hand, the one resting on her shoulder, and she squeezed it while she stretched her foot out to tap Alan's shoe. "Are you looking forward to tomorrow?"

Alan shrugged, giving a little grunt in reply. "I'm not fussed about my birthday."

"But you still fancy coming to mine? We're all just hanging out."

"Is that all?" Alan asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Of course!" Bonnie said. When Alan shrugged and nodded before looking away, the girls grinned at each other and fought back the urge to chuckle. Bridget's grin was quickly wiped off her face when another guy came over, beaming at her. One of the jocks she recognised from the football team and her chemistry honours class.

"Looking good, Bridget. Do you want to –?"

"No."

"Oh. Okay." His shoulders slumped and he trudged off.

Bonnie sighed, frowning at her friend. "Brid, would it kill you to dance with someone?"

"Yes."

When Bonnie continued to look disappointed in her, she sighed and shrugged.

"Look, if this had been casual clothing, no-one would have been asking me. Now that I'm all dressed up, suddenly a couple of guys wanted to dance with me? That's just showing me they're shallow and they're only interested in me if I look a certain way."

"I don't think that's the case," Bonnie said. "I think with some people they suddenly get brave at a dance and ask people things they'd normally be too scared to ask. And I think you need to give more people credit."

Bridget shrugged. "I'm still going to scream if one more guy pesters me."

Alan gave a sigh and put his cola down. When the girls glanced up curiously, he stretched his hand out to Bridget who looked at it as if it had randomly sprouted feathers. She raised an eyebrow up at him.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked.

"_You're _asking _me _to dance?"

"God, I wish I had a video camera right now," Bonnie said and she glanced at Edgar who looked at his brother as if he didn't recognise him. They both exchanged a clueless shrug.

"Well, you have two options," Alan explained to Bridget. "You can stay here and keep getting asked by guys you're not interested in or you can make it look like you're unavailable by shuffling awkwardly around with me, one of the few people you actually like."

Bridget grinned up at him and took his hand. "When you put it like that…"

He led her onto the dance floor and both of them gazed around, observing how other people were moving and standing, taking a look at what they had to hold. It had seemed like a good idea but now Alan's hand hovered over Bridget's waist and they were both staring wide eyed and unsure at each other.

"Am I okay to put my hand there?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, I guess so." She hesitantly linked her fingers with his and they inched closer, trying to step left and right, forwards and backwards like everyone else was doing but they both kept starting in the same directions. Bridget stepped to the left, Alan to his own left. Bridget went forward, so did Alan.

In her seat, Bonnie dropped her head, covering it with her hands and she groaned. "Oh my God, it's like watching babies take their first steps."

Bridget bit her lip, nervously laughing as Alan stopped moving and fought back his own grin.

"Well, this going well," she said. "We can't even move around with some grace."

"I don't feel too bad when you're making a mess of it along with me."

She laughed, head burying into his shoulder. "Oh thanks, I'm glad I'm making you feel less embarrassed."

"What are best friends for?" he teased and she lifted her head up, a mock scowl on her face before she laughed again. "Okay, we keep going in the same directions. That's what we're doing wrong. If I go to my left, you need to go your right."

Alan glanced around, watching as couples began to move faster as the band began a new song. Still a cheesy love song but at a much quicker rhythm. He frowned as the lyrics started, listening to the words before he snorted and shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Bridget asked.

"My dad was talking about this song today," he said. "Everlasting Love. He danced to this with Mom at their Valentine's Dance."

"Wanna bail?"

"Want some guy you don't like ask you to dance to this?"

She nodded. "Good point." She watched a girl near her, bopping up and down in rhythm to the song. She had pulled away from her date, holding his hands as they shuffled around to the music and laughing together. She copied, pulling away from Alan and taking hold of both of his hands.

"I don't think you need to dance as close for this one," she said and copied the girl's bopping movements as she moved from her left foot to her right foot. She glanced back at Bonnie who had been watching them in amusement with Edgar. But her friend held up her thumbs and flashed a wide beam. That must mean she was doing it right.

"I think we're actually in rhythm to the music," Alan said, doing the same movement but with a bit more of an awkward shuffle.

"Really?" She suddenly grabbed his shoulders. "Go us! We can dance!" She laughed with him, and went to go hold his hands again but he suddenly grabbed her wrists and moved her arms so they were back around his shoulders. He smiled timidly.

"I kinda like them there," he said as his arms went around her waist.

Her cheeks were reddening again. "And I kinda like yours there."

"Are you _serious_?"

They jumped at the shrill, furious voice, letting go off each other. Charlotte stood near them, her face twisted in fury and disbelief as she looked back and forth at Alan and Bridget. Her voice wasn't loud enough to stop the whole dance. The band kept playing and people nearer to the stage kept dancing. But a few couples around Bridget and Alan slowed down, curiously looking at the three teenagers. Bobby and Imogen had danced over. Imogen frowned at the scene but Bobby was edging her closer so he could watch in amusement and hear everything.

"What's your problem?" Bridget asked.

Charlotte glared at Alan, ignoring her former friend. "You know, I've tried my best not to say anything and accept your excuses but this is the last straw! You said you never go to dances when I asked you and yet here you are. You told me you don't dance and now you're dancing with _her_? Why are you telling me one thing and doing the complete opposite the next? Why am I always the one to get rejected by you?"

There were murmurings among the crowd as Alan and Bridget stood tensed up and hunched on the dance floor. Alan was desperately trying to force an answer out of his mouth, something to make Charlotte stop looking at him as if he had broken her heart while Bridget chewed on her lip.

Bridget was the first to speak. "He was just –."

"No! Bullshit. I know what's been going on between you two," Charlotte snapped, turning on her.

"You did say Bridget was your girl a minute ago," Bobby said to Alan, smirking with every word that came out of his smug mouth.

"Stay out of this, Denton," Bridget snapped while Alan glowered at the jock. "You know that was a slip of the tongue. Charlotte, the shithead is twisting things. Don't listen to him –."

But it didn't matter. Tears trickled down Charlotte cheeks and after letting a sob out, one she couldn't help, she pivoted on her heel and rushed out of the hall, shoving her way through other students. And as soon as she was gone, all eyes were on Alan and Bridget and the whisperings began again. There was a mocking chuckle and someone slapped Alan on the back, making him lurch forward and gasp at the force.

"Since when did you become popular with the ladies, Frog?" Bobby asked. "Lucky Valentines for you."

"You should have stayed out of it," Alan growled at him and followed Bridget who had started to chase after Charlotte.

She called after her friend, running out of the school and following Charlotte who marched towards the car park. She cried louder now, her shoulders shaking with each sniff and when she finally turned back to Bridget her make-up had run down her cheeks. Her eyeliner and eye shadow smudged with messy black splodges of mascara gathering under her eyes. Her cheeks were already blotchy and her lips looked bee stung. Whatever anger and dislike Bridget had been feeling for her former friend had disappeared. She sighed, taking a few cautious steps towards her and for a second she wanted to reach out because that was what she always did for Charlotte when somebody upset her. But she paused, reminding herself that this time, Charlotte was angry at her. Alan came up behind Bridget but she raised a hand up, shaking her head.

"Let me talk to her," she said. "Charlotte, I don't get it."

"Like I said," Charlotte said and her voice continued to crack. "He tells me he won't go to a dance and yet here he is with you. He doesn't dance with girls but then all of a sudden he's dancing with you. Don't you see it?"

"For fuck's sake, Charlotte, we're just friends. That's all it's ever been! We get on. We can't help that!"

"Do you know what really pisses me off? Before last summer you had never said one word to the Frog Brothers. You had to be dragged to the comic book store. You even told me Alan wasn't worth chasing and now you're like his Siamese twin."

Bridget shrugged helplessly. "Things changed."

Her attention went to Alan who avoided her eyes. He couldn't help the guilt on his face.

"I've always shown an interest in you, Alan," she said with a voice that was small and wounded. The anger was disappearing from her. Her heart felt like it had been snatched from her body and crushed into dust right in front of her. Every bit of her felt numb.

"I've been the only girl to do that. Every time I saw you I said hello or asked you how you were. I always tried to start a conversation up with you. I always complimented you. Whenever that jerk Bobby did something to humiliate you I always came to ask if you were okay. And most of the time you ignored me. You barely spoke to me."

"I'm…" he paused, frowning. What could he actually say? Nothing he thought of seemed right. With a sigh, lifting his hands lightly in a helpless gesture, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"She's a bitch," Charlotte continued, pointing at Bridget. "She's rude and she's anti-social and you ended up giving her the attention you should have given to me."

Then she sneered, casting her eyes over Bridget. "She's not even pretty."

"Hey, that's enough!" Alan snapped, marching forward. Instinctively, he put a hand on Bridget's shoulder who, in the corner of his eye, noticed she had tensed. He heard her breath catch abruptly, a small gasp escaping, and her shoulders quivered underneath his hand.

Charlotte laughed dryly. "There you go again. Always ready to stand up for her. You sure she's just a friend, Alan?" She glanced at Bridget and her heart skipped in glee when she saw that her usually stoic friend had let a small tear escape from her watery eyes and her jaw tightened. When neither of them had any response from her, Charlotte wiped at her wet, puffy eyes and stormed off.

Bridget felt Alan's hand tighten on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded but the tears betrayed her. Still, she looked away and mumbled that she was fine.

"Guys?"

Edgar walked towards them, the rest of their friends following silently. He led the group, eyebrows knitted together as he glanced between his brother and friend.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"It's fine," Alan said. He wrapped an arm around Bridget who slumped against him and his forehead touched hers. "Let's get out of here."

She nodded, ready to go join with Bernice, Bonnie, and Leon but Alan kept hold of her hand.

"I'm fine. Honestly," Bridget said, facing him and she waved a hand idly. "I don't give a shit."

"You don't give a shit when it's people you don't know or don't like."

"I don't like Charlotte."

"No, you're angry with Charlotte. In the end, she's been your friend for years. It still means something, especially when she insults you."

She sniffed, letting another tear trickle down her cheek. "I'm used to getting insults. What she said was nothing I haven't heard before and I don't care."

Alan nodded, not taking it any further because while she proclaimed how much she wasn't affected by insults, he could see how her eyes still glistened with tears.

"Okay," he said and squeezed her hand. "But, just for the record, I think you look pretty all the time."

His words tugged her lips up into a small smile. The comment straightened her posture and he even got a little laugh from her. She reached out, stretching her arms to wrap them around his neck as she leaned in for a hug.

"You going soft on me, soldier?" she asked.

He scoffed, pulling away and folded his arms arrogantly across his chest. "Me? Soft? Never." He balled his hand up in a fist and gently tapped her shoulder with it. "See you tomorrow for Bonnie's Birthday Part Two."

She whispered goodbye before leaving where Bernice had her straight into her arms and Bonnie ranted loudly how she was going to have words with Charlotte the next time she saw here. Edgar and Sam came up to Alan who ran a hand through his hair and hunched up.

"Well, that was eventful," Edgar said, cringing. "None of that looked pretty."

"Think Valentine's Day causes more drama than romance," Sam added, trying to sound jovial but he patted Alan's shoulder as his friend continued to look weary and uncomfortable after that encounter with an angry Charlotte.

"If this night had to have drama I would have preferred dealing with bloodsuckers," Alan said, trudging after his brother and Sam. He hung his head, part of him trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. If he had really got himself stuck in the middle between two girls over some strange misunderstanding over him.

_Definitely would prefer to deal with bloodsuckers, _he thought.

* * *

><p>Charlotte hugged herself as she walked down the street. Her options were either to return to the dance, back to prying eyes and whispers about the scene she had caused, or leave now and disappear to the comfort and security of her own home. Her dad was supposed to come in a couple of hours to pick her up but waiting in that hall, noticing the odd glance at her and mutterings while she tucked herself moodily away in a corner, would be sickeningly unbearable. Especially if Alan and Bridget had decided to stick around.<p>

"Charlotte?"

She turned, seeing Logan catching up to her. His face creased in worry and she raised a hand at him.

"I'm going home, Logan," she said.

He was by her side soon enough and he took her arm, patting it reassuringly.

"You were amazing, doll," he said, shaking her arm slightly.

But the tears still ran down her cheeks, smudging her eye make-up more. Logan's flattering comments about how well she did, how she had been right to say those words, did not make this awful, tearing feeling in her heart and stomach disappear.

"I made a fool of myself," she said, stopping and looked up to meet his eyes. "I stood there shouting and screaming like some jealous girlfriend. And that's the problem. I've never been his girlfriend, I've never come close to being that."

"I believe if you want something, you should go get it," Logan said. "And if you want Alan, you should fight for him."

Charlotte frowned. "But he doesn't like me in that way."

A smirk crept up on Logan's face. It changed his features, made his eyes glint with a cold menace that she had never seen before in what, up until now, had been a pleasant, handsome face.

"I think I can help you," he whispered, smiling widely to reveal sharp teeth.

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><p><strong>Thank you for taking the time to read and if you would like to leave a review, please feel welcome to. :) Chapter 7 will be posted up next Saturday.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to Silverheels12 and Elle for your reviews. Elle, glad you enjoyed the last chapter. :) And thank you to new followers and favourites.**

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><p>After the drama of Friday night and the Valentine's Day Dance, everyone was hoping Saturday would be a rare normality. The last of the balloons for Alan and Bonnie's birthday celebration had been blown up and left to float around. While Bernice and Bridget placed the last plates of buffet food on the dining table, Bonne marched around to check that everything was in order. Presents for Alan and Bonnie was on a pile in the corner of the living room as was his cards. Depeche Mode was blasting out from the record player. Everyone was here, including all the adults. Lucy was in the kitchen, taking out the cake she had baked for Bonnie and Alan along with five different desserts. When she had arrived with the Emerson clan and Star in tow she had cheerfully explained she couldn't choose which dessert to make and thought it would be nice to have a choice.<p>

About half an hour in from everyone arriving and setting the party up, there was a knock at the door and Bonnie turned down the music. She skipped over to the door, opening it up and beaming at Edgar and Alan.

"Are we late?" Edgar asked.

"No," she said, unable to stop beaming. She suddenly grabbed Alan by the hand and dragged him in, straight to the living room where he was greeted by loud cheering and shouts of 'happy birthday'. Party poppers exploded near him and then there was laughter as he stood in the doorway to the room, gawping and standing tense like a frightened rabbit. Bonnie was giggling as if Christmas had come early and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheek which earned a cry of protest and he wriggled out of her grip.

"I knew you were up to something," he said.

"You deserve a special seventeenth," she told him and he sighed, looking around at everyone.

"And everyone knew?" He shook his head, smiling.

"Everyone except Edgar," Bonnie said. "We knew he'd blab and try to warn you."

"Hey!" Edgar objected.

She ignored him and grabbed Alan again, clutching onto his hand. "Come on! Presents!"

His stomach flipped at the sight of presents in the corner. There was a large pile, a mixture of wrapping paper that was girly or had patterns on and ones that were plain.

"You haven't opened presents?" he asked.

"I opened my mom and dad's yesterday. I left any others so you wouldn't feel like all eyes were on you." She bent down, picking two of presents up. One with pink wrapping and one plain green and shiny that she passed to Alan. "Happy Birthday."

He smiled, taking it with a mumbled 'thanks' and sat down on the couch next to his brother and Aunt Pam while Bonnie practically jumped onto the armchair opposite. She took the card of the neatly wrapped present, ripping apart the envelope and smiling straight at Sam when she opened up the card.

Alan shuffled back onto the couch, hiding himself between Edgar and his aunt as he tore at the wrapping paper. His first present was from Lucy; a large watch with a dark green wrist strap and he stared at it with wide eyes. After the t-shirts he had gotten from his aunt and uncle and a voucher for the army surplus store from his parents this watch was too grand. Too expensive.

"Wow," he muttered and looked up, scanning the room to find her. She stood smiling cheerfully near the doorway to the living room. "This watch…"

"Sam mentioned you broke your last one," Lucy said with a smile on her face.

Sam beamed at him from behind his mother. Alan had to laugh, looking down at it again. He had broken his last one on a vampire hunt. The vampire they had been chasing knocked him aside in the fight and he had smashed against the ground, breaking his watch in the process. The situation could have been much worse, of course. He could have broken something, died, or been turned in the process but that old watch had come from his savings so he couldn't help being slightly pissed off by it.

"Thank you," he said, turning to Lucy. "This is great. But it must have –."

She interrupted him by waving a hand. "No, no. You're not going to think about money. It's your birthday. Enjoy it."

"Thank you," he said again, his voice earnest. "Really."

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><p>"I'm kinda surprised. I thought you would have escaped sooner," Bridget said. She stepped outside into the garden, rubbing her hands up and down her cold arms. Alan smiled at her from the chair he sat on, one arm propped up on the table and the hand cradling his head.<p>

"It hasn't been too bad," he said.

She sat in the chair opposite him. "Nice time?"

He nodded. "It has been nice. It's been different. Last year for my birthday I ended up sleeping through it because me and Edgar had been on a hunt the night before and then I'd been at school all day." He grinned at her, gesturing to the house behind them. "How're you managing?"

"Alright until Sam and Bonnie tried getting me to dance. So I'm hiding out here for a bit. Like, they were actually taking hold of my arms and hands and moving them." She shook her head, knocking his leg with her foot when he snorted in amusement. "I thought you'd be on my side for this. Especially after your bizarre take on dancing last night."

"I thought I was good," he joked, flashing a brighter smile at her. When she pulled a face, scrunching her nose up so it wrinkled he laughed, groaning slightly. "Yeah, that was… embarrassing. I thought it was a good idea but then I realised it did require me to actually move about. Didn't really think it through."

"Thanks though," she said, smiling. "For trying to make sure no-one else pestered me." She held up her own present for him, crinkled and stuck together with a ridiculous amount of tape. He took it, fingertips indenting the wrapping paper where he held it and turned it around, picking at the tape.

"It's from me," she said. "I thought you might like one less present to open without loads of eyes on you."

When he continued to struggle curling up more tape, she laughed.

"Sorry. I can't wrap presents," she said and reached over. She ripped a bit of the paper, creating a small hole but it was enough for Alan to be able to continue and he tore it open, letting the torn pieces of paper float down to the ground. The present had been thin, flexible even because when he accidentally bent it Bridget quickly tried to flatten it out.

"It's a comic," he said, grinning when she had stepped in so abruptly. She bit her lip, refusing to answer and watched him as he shredded the paper apart…

And froze. He sucked in a breath, eyes widening at the comic in his hands. Bridget's smile widened as she watched his reaction and continued to chew on her lower lip.

"This…" He brought it up closer, reading the title and issue number over and over again as if any minute it was going to disappear and the real title would appear. "No way."

In his hands he carefully held Amazing Fantasy issue fifteen, taking in every single detail of the cover. The bold yellow writing against black. The drawing of Spider Man swinging from one of his webs, clutching at it tightly while he carried a man in his other hand. The yellow speech bubbles that arrogantly introduced the wonder that was Spider Man himself.

"This is Amazing Fantasy issue fifteen," he said, holding it up to Bridget.

She grinned at him. "I know."

"This is the first ever time we meet Spider Man."

Her grin widened. "I know."

"This is… this is one of the most sought after comic book issues. They don't come cheap. Where did you find this?"

"I got it in a comic book store up in San Francisco."

"You went all the way to San Francisco?"

"I'd found the store by accident. When I went up at Christmas to visit my grandparents I had a look in the comic shop and they were selling it. It was all wrapped and kept inside the glass counter. So when I came back and asked Sam about it, I knew it would be the perfect present, went back for it, and… voila!" She extended her hands, gesturing to the comic. "It's mint condition. Happy birthday."

"I can't accept it. It's too much."

"Don't be silly."

"You must have paid a lot."

"Remember what Lucy said? Don't be thinking about the money," she said, winking at him.

He took in another deep breath, fingers gently tracing the front cover before moving his eyes back to her again. "Thank you."

He placed the comic onto the table, moving fast as he then went to reach for her. She laughed at the arms that wrapped around her, one hand resting on her upper back and the other in her hair and she let her cheek rest on his shoulder as her hands rested lightly around him. He didn't even move, happy to sit there in silence with his arms around her, not really noticing that his fingers were moving slightly against her hair, stroking the strands.

"Why?" he asked after a minute of silence but he didn't let go.

She tightened her grip once, a quick squeeze. "You're my best friend. And I wanted to make your birthday special."

He suddenly let go, raising a finger and stood up. "I have something."

He raced back into the house, going to the corridor where he kept his bag and she peered in from outside as he rummaged around in it. He took out a plastic bag and jogged back to her, holding the plastic bag out to her and she took it, grinning up at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A present," he said, sitting back down. "Open it."

She quirking an eyebrow up at him. "You do know you're not supposed to get other people presents on your birthday, right? It's not quite how it works."

He rolled his eyes. "I know. I'm not quite as socially inept as people make me out to be. I saw this in the shop and thought you might like it."

She carefully slid the comic out, examining the cover. "The Dark Knight Returns," she read and beamed immediately. "These are all the issues."

There was a small, satisfied smile on Alan's face as he watched Bridget gaze in wonder at the front cover and flick through the pages carefully so she didn't wrinkle anything immediately.

"What do you think?" he asked after she had been silent too long. He didn't even realise he had leaned forward in his seat, impatient for a verbal reaction.

"Alan, you don't have to buy me comics," she said.

"I know but Bonnie said you were getting into Batman and this is a really good storyline. I thought you might like it." He grinned at her. "I'm your comic book tutor remember? And I say these are pretty cool issues." He tapped the cover with his finger.

"Aye, aye," she said, saluting him and slipped the comic back into the plastic bag. "Seriously, thanks."

He waved his hand, giving a casual shrug and mumbled something about it being no big deal before standing up to return into the house with his new comic clutched in his hand. Bridget stayed in her seat, peeking back into the bag to see her present again and she felt another silly grin creep up onto her face before looking back in the direction Alan had left and watched him as he joined Edgar in the corridor who had been standing by himself poker-faced and eating a slice of birthday cake.

She hadn't noticed how much of a rapid heartbeat she had until she was suddenly aware of the pounding in her ears. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, not entirely sure when it started drumming frantically and why. But there was definitely something wrong. Her stomach had flipped and flopped as she had watched Alan open his present but maybe that was all to do with his possible reaction. That must have been it. She was nervous that he would say he already had it. But then Sam had insisted he didn't. Well, maybe she was worried that he would say that he didn't like it. Although that was also a silly thing to panic about because if there was anything Alan was passionate about apart from vampire hunting, it was certainly Spider Man.

So she was back to being confused about her sudden skittish feelings.

"I thought you'd come to hide," Bonnie said, stepping out into the garden. "I've just put on that new Cyndi Lauper record you bought me. It's freaking amazing." She collapsed in the chair Alan had been sitting in and pointed to the bag. "What's that?"

"Um, a present," Bridget said, holding it up. "From Alan."

Her friend's eyes glistened with interest. "Really? Lemme see." She peered in when Bridget handed her the bag and her eyes widened, that interest disappearing and she laughed in disbelief.

"Okay, seriously, what have you done with that boy?"

Bridget shrugged wordlessly.

"He does act differently around you, you know," Bonnie said. "Right from the start."

"I guess we clicked."

"Brid, I've been one of his best friends for years and if I was to hug him or hold his hand the way you do he would be wriggling away as if I had the plague."

Her friend was picking at a loose hem on her sleeve. She kept her head down but now and again she glanced up. Although when she did it was to look into the hallway in the house where Alan still stood talking with his brother.

"I dunno," Bridget mumbled. "We've always been like that. I don't know how to explain it."

Bonnie gave her a knowing smile. "I think you do."

"I've never had a crush on a guy in my life."

"That's because you've never come across a guy who you could probably be interested in."

Bridget sighed, leaning back in her chair as she folded her arms and pulled a face at Bonnie. Her friend was acting worse than Charlotte. Maybe not psychotically jealous but Bridget did not like that her best female friend was now starting all this shit about her and Alan being more than close friends.

"Now _you_ think I'm interested in Alan?"

"Maybe you're not," Bonnie said but jerked a thumb in Alan's direction. "But I've never seen Alan act the way he does with you around any other girl."

"I'm pretty sure Alan would with Imogen if they were friends and he wasn't scared of Bobby shoving his head down the toilet and flushing it. There's only one girl he likes and it's not me."

"Okay."

"Stop grinning like that."

"I'm just smiling."

"You're grinning."

Bonnie raised her hands in defence, pressing her lips together to hold back her laughter while Bridget scowled in her direction. Their silent staring match was quickly interrupted by a loud knock on the door and the music was immediately turned off. The girls cast a wary glance at each other before hurrying in, making sure the kitchen door was shut and locked behind them. Everyone was crowding around in the hallway, the vampire hunters cautiously edging away from the front door as Mr Casey opened it. Two police officers, a male and a female, with polite smiles and dressed in their dark uniform stood on the porch.

"Can I help you?" Mr Casey asked.

Apart from Leon, Michael and Star, the teenagers in the house suddenly froze. They avoided trying to cast panicked expressions at each other but each of them had the same troubled thoughts running through their head. Had they been caught vampire hunting? Did a dead body have their fingerprints? Had somebody seen them near the scene of a murder on a hunt and pointed the police in their direction?

"Sorry to disturb you. I'm Officer Peyton and this is Officer Santiago. We were looking for Bridget Teahan and Alan Frog?"

Uncle Gerry stepped forward. "What is this about?"

The female officer raised her hands. "It's nothing to worry about. We just wanted to ask them a few questions. It's about a missing girl. Bridget's parents said they would be at this address tonight."

"What missing girl?" Bridget asked, stepping forward. While she kept mentally telling herself no-one she knew was missing there was a part of her subconscious that might have already suspected the answer but she ignored it, along with the chills that rang through her body.

"Are you Bridget?" the female police officer asked.

"Yes."

"Would there be a place we could talk to you and Alan more privately?"

"You can use the living room but there are going to be adults there," Mr Casey said and beckoned them to come in. Bridget glanced at Alan who pointed to the hallway mirror. Both the officers had their reflections and she felt the tension in her back and shoulders ease slightly but not completely. Everyone gathered in the living room with the officers taking the couch, Bridget on the chair and Alan perched on the arm of it. He noticed she was picking more at the loose hem on the sleeve of her top and her right leg was tapping up and down frantically, making her knee shake. Slowly, he moved his hand overs hers.

"We're just looking into the case of a missing girl," the male police officer said.

"Yes, you said," Uncle Gerry said. "What has this got to do with my nephew and his friend?"

"We were told Bridget and Alan know her. Her name is Charlotte. Charlotte Dyer."

All the food that Bridget had eaten that night wanted to viciously force its way back up her throat. She put a hand to her mouth and groaned. "Oh my God."

She closed her eyes and the chills came back down her spine.

"You know her?" the woman asked.

Bridget nodded, her eyes still closed. "She's my friend. Sort of. Well, she _was_ my friend."

"We're just trying to get an idea of where and when she went missing. We've been to other sources who said she was at the high school dance last night. There was an argument?"

"Bridget and Alan haven't done anything," Bonnie said sharply and her mother clamped a hand down on her shoulder.

"Honey, no-one is accusing anyone of anything."

"Absolutely not," the female officer said kindly. She flashed a sweet smile at the adults and teenagers in the room. "Like I said, we're just trying to get a good idea of Charlotte's night. Find out when people definitely saw her last. Why she might have gone missing –."

"We just had an argument," Bridget interrupted.

"Can I ask what about?" the woman asked.

Alan averted his eyes while Bridget's face reddened and she cleared her throat, now wishing that Bonnie's father hadn't insisted on such a huge audience. Biting her lip, that soon felt sore and cracked, she began to explain, and avoiding looking at Alan's parents and his aunt and uncle.

"Charlotte has a crush on Alan," she answered. "She's liked him for years and over the last few months she hasn't really been speaking to me because we're really good friends." She pointed between her and Alan. "Charlotte's been getting jealous of how close we are and she flipped at the dance last night."

"Why the dance especially?" the male, Officer Peyton, queried.

Bridget felt her stomach drop. It was a completely ridiculous theory but she felt like they had been purposely put there to make Bridget and Alan open up more about their friendship. It was embarrassing talking about how close they were with adults watching, especially Alan's own family. Like it was a dirty secret which it shouldn't have been but she couldn't help feel that way.

"I was dancing with Bridget and Charlotte got angry about it," Alan said. "She thought I liked Bridget instead."

"We were all there," Bonnie stepped in. "Charlotte had stormed out and Bridget and Alan had followed her to calm her down. We immediately followed and Charlotte yelled some more things at them and suddenly left. We all went straight home afterwards. You can ask any one of us."

There were nods and murmurs of agreements from Edgar, Sam, Bernice and Leon. Officer Santiago was nodded along to every single word, jotting down their statements.

"Uh-huh. Right. Where was Charlotte going?"

"Um, home? I think?" Bridget shrugged. "She doesn't know how to drive so somebody would have had to come pick her up but she was walking away from school grounds."

"So she decided to walk home?"

"She didn't look like she was going to be waiting for anyone."

"Can any of you remember what time that had been?" Officer Peyton asked.

"About nine?" Sam shook his head. "Sorry, we didn't pay attention to the time."

"That's fine." Officer Santiago smiled again. "Some of her other friends said she had been with a guy that night. They didn't recognise him or catch his name. He seemed to have disappeared straight after Charlotte left."

"I'm sorry. I didn't notice she was with anyone," Bridget said. When the two police officers looked around the other teenagers shook their heads as well. Bernice and Leon gave brief shrugs. Bridget's heart was in her mouth. If she was walking alone through the streets and she had met a strange guy that normally meant one thing in Santa Carla.

Vampire.

She closed her eyes again, still feeling cold and all she wanted to do was curl up and cry. It suddenly didn't matter all the horrible things Charlotte had been saying to her in those last eight months. It didn't matter how nasty she had become, treating Bridget like she had backstabbed her and insulting her every chance she got. Charlotte was now another face on the missing poster board in the notorious Murder Capital of the World. She was a young girl who had been targeted and hunted down by those disgusting bloodsuckers. Her old friend's behaviour had been quickly pushed out of Bridget's mind because in the end, nobody deserved to die by the hands of a thirsty member of the undead.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a review if you wish to. :) Chapter eight will be up next Saturday.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry I didn't get these chapters uploaded yesterday. I'm not quite sure what was happening but the website wasn't letting me log on so I had no access to my account at all. =/ **

**Thank you Elle for your review. :) Glad you enjoyed it. And thank you to new followers/favourites.**

* * *

><p>On Monday, Bridget and Alan still felt numb after Charlotte had been officially declared missing. It was the day after Valentine's Day and the romance was still in the air, turning everyone into love sick puppies or loathing grumps. There were a few students, albeit a small handful, that didn't let themselves be sucked into the feuding sides of love and hate and wandered from class to class trying to keep the day as normal as possible.<p>

The two teenagers sat in American Literature with an empty seat in front of them, the one Charlotte would have usually taken. Neither of them could take their eyes of it, even when their teacher started off the lesson and requested everyone to continue working on their presentation.

Alan glanced over at Bridget who sat hunched and bleary eyed. There were prominent shadows underneath her eyes and her hair was a mess of tangles and tousled waves. She had drowned herself in a large cardigan that she kept covered across her chest, gripping onto the cuffs of her long sleeves with her fingers. She stretched her legs out in front of her, almost touching the other empty chair in front with her dirty, almost worn out chucks, and stared ahead of her until Alan gently elbowed her.

"We need to get on with this," he said, tapping his notebook with his pen. She nodded, sitting up but ended up slumping forward, putting all her weight now into her folded arms.

"It's not your fault," he whispered.

"I know," she said, completely deadpan and Alan knew from the tone in her voice that she was only saying this to please him. She had trudged from homeroom to chemistry and now to American Literature, not saying a word, even to Alan and their other friends. Other juniors had whispered as she made her way around the school, commenting on Charlotte's disappearance and what had been happening at the dance last Friday. Some people had been kind enough to come up to her and apologise, asking if she was okay. But most were using the news as something interesting to talk about.

"We've all known from the start that we can't save everyone. All we can do is make sure there is one less vampire roaming around Santa Carla," Alan said, still determined to reassure his friend.

Bridget patted his hand. "Alan, I'm alright. I know it's not my fault. Honestly. It's just… it's knowing that the recent missing person is somebody you really knew. It shakes you up."

He nodded and picked up his copy of _Death of a Salesman. _"All we can do is stake another vampire. Do you want to go hunting tonight with me?"

"Yeah," she said and he noticed her knuckles whitened as she clenched her fists together. "I need a bloodsucker to vent out some anger."

As they started to talk through some of the points they made in their last lesson, the door to the classroom burst open. An unfamiliar student came parading in to cheers and laughter. He sported a blonde curly wig, with a white tunic on that had hearts going across the collar and bottom hem and gold sandals. He carried a tiny, red bow and arrow, similar to the type one could win at the amusement park on the Boardwalk. Despite his outfit he stretched his arms up in a grand greeting, waving single red roses at everyone.

"I have roses for some lucky Valentines!" he announced and the class responded with more cheering and laughter. He even got a few high fives of some of the male students for his boldness in wearing such a ridiculous outfit. Their teacher rolled his eyes, nodding and wordlessly giving permission for 'Cupid' to hand out the roses.

"Imogen Reece? I have a rose for yooo-hooo!"

Imogen was in a fit of giggles as she raised her hand and Cupid danced over to her, waving the rose as he did. She thanked him, still laughing away as she opened up the card that came with it and turned to throw her arms around Bobby. Some of the students in the class awed and gushed before eagerly turning to Cupid in the hope that this year, someone had made the ultimate romantic gesture.

"Ray Acosta?"

A few girls whooped as Ray ducked his head and shyly accepted the rose.

"Alan Frog?"

There was stunned silence as faces turned to him as he sat in the corner. Peg let out a loud guffaw of disbelief and Alan shrank back as if in hope that the walls would devour him and take him away from the curious eyes. Cupid skipped over, holding out the rose for him.

"Here you go, ya lucky devil. Until next year, my lovelies!"

"Alright, back to your work, boys and girls," the teacher said, sitting back on his desk and trying to ignore Cupid as he danced around and blew a kiss at everyone before skipping out. The class snickered and began to talk their partners again. Ray and Imogen were discussing their flowers, reading the card to their friends.

"You're spoiling him, Bridget," Bobby said, winking at Alan and she flipped her middle finger at him.

"I didn't send him a damn rose, Denton," she muttered.

"It's from Charlotte," Alan said to her quietly as he read the card. "Alan, Happy Valentine's Day. I know we're not together but I have you in my heart. Charlotte." He set it down, suddenly losing the appetite he had been developing as the day crept closer to lunch.

Bobby leaned forward in his chair. "Heard you broke her heart before she went missing, Frog."

"Will you shut the fuck up?" Alan growled, suddenly leaping up. The abrupt movement caused him chair to fall back.

"Mr Frog," the teacher warned. "I am not tolerating that language or behaviour in my class."

"I was only saying," Bobby said, holding his hands up.

"No, you're stirring things like usual," Bridget snapped.

"Why are you getting so upset, Bridget? You two weren't friends anymore. Unless it _is _guilt about hooking up with Frog when you knew Charlotte was your best friend and completely in love with him. Can't see why you'd hook up with him, to be honest." His unimpressed stare checked Alan up and down.

"We are just friends, you dick!"

The teacher pointed a finger. "Miss Teahan! Look, the three of you –."

"Fuck this," Bridget growled, grabbing her notebook and storming out. She kept on a scowl until she was out of the classroom and in the hallway where she ran over to the stairs and collapsed when she reached the bottom. Now she could let the tears out as she huddled up near the railings and lost the fight to keep her sobs silent. There were footsteps behind her and she didn't look up as a figure loomed near, casting a shadow over her and they settled next to her while an arm snaked around her waist.

"Go back to class. I'm fine."

"I'm not going back in there," Alan said. "I'm fed up of the staring and whispering when we haven't even done anything wrong."

"Why do I feel like I have though?" Bridget asked, her voice almost a whisper. "Why do I feel like her disappearance is my fault?"

"You shouldn't. We've only ever been friends. We're close because we've both dealt with vampires and we both decided to do something about it. That's not our fault. Charlotte should have never made you feel guilty about being friends with me." His forehead rested against her head. "Stop blaming yourself. All we can do now is hope that whatever vampire we annihilate tonight is the one responsible."

She nodded against his head, smiling slightly at the comforting strokes of his hand against her waist.

"Wanna ditch the rest of the day?" he asked.

She grinned. "Sounds perfect."

She kept back a giggle when he grabbed her hand and they both took off, sneaking through the hallway and out of school.

* * *

><p>They had all met on the Boardwalk later that day, when the winter February nights were bringing the darkness in early. Everyone gathered around Sam's car while Bernice finally pulled up in hers, already sending a scowl towards Bridget when she got out.<p>

"Mom and Dad found out you ditched today. When you get home they are going to be livid," she warned.

Bridget shrugged. "Didn't really feel like classes."

"Well, it looks like you're going to end up grounded," Bernice added and frowned when her sister gave another carefree shrug. "I wish you'd take this seriously."

"Did school phone our house?" Alan asked Edgar.

"Luckily Dad answered and he doesn't really care," his brother replied. "Started talking about how he used to sneak out of school to protest against the war and that's how he met Mom. At some point the school got bored and hung up but they haven't tried again. At least at home. They may have contacted Uncle Gerry instead but I don't know for sure. I haven't been in the store today."

"How come you guys bailed?" Sam asked.

"How come you didn't try and get _me _out?" Bonnie asked, earning an elbow in the ribs from Bernice.

"Brid, you're in so much trouble with Mom and Dad," she said again to her younger sister and sighed. It was such a disappointed sigh that Bridget rolled her eyes and scowled.

"People were being dicks," she said. She waved a hand when Bernice opened her mouth again, probably intending to keep interrogating her but for now she wanted to push those memories of American Literature aside and focus on vampire hunting. "I'll tell you later."

Bernice sighed again but she nodded and opened up her boot. "Fine. Where are we hunting tonight?"

"I thought the Wharf and Downtown. The Boardwalk is pretty much dead at the moment and the disappearances and murders seem to be happening around the music and restaurant scenes," Edgar said. "Anyone else noticed there are more disappearances at the moment?"

Solemn nods and murmurs of agreement echoed through the group.

"Yeah, haven't seen it this bad since last summer," Alan said.

"Like there's another pack," Bonnie added and Edgar nodded.

"With Max's pack gone there won't be any fight for territory. Santa Carla's pretty much here for the taking if no-one has claimed it," Edgar explained. "And I wouldn't be surprised if a new pack has. Maybe keep an eye out for strangers, especially if they're in a group."

Bridget saluted him. "On it, General."

"Please stop calling me that. Okay, we'll split. Bonnie and Bernice, you're with me at the Wharf. Sam, Alan, Bridget… scope Downtown."

Alan nodded. "Affirmative."

"Right." Edgar clapped his hands together. "Let's get a move on, then."


	9. Chapter 9

Sam, Bridget, and Alan kept near the alleys and narrow, damp back streets with the distorted sounds of synthpop drumming out from the clubs around them. Depending on which area of Downtown Santa Carla a person was in, it would give them one of two impressions. One being the seediest place around with drunks and homeless people wandering the alleyways and finding a place to sleep in the bins and rubbish that had been dumped all the way down these streets. Beds had been made of cardboard, beer cans and takeaway boxes. The other impression still wasn't completely swanky but it was nicer than the rowdy night clubs. The bars were more jazz focused with some salsa and Latino clubs and the area was also home of the movie palace and the sole theatre in Santa Carla after the second had shut its doors permanently a few years ago. It was now yet another abandoned building in Santa Carla.

Still, nobody in their right, sober mind would want to walk down these streets by themselves. Unfortunately that wasn't most people in their town.

"So far this area is nothing but a haven for the bums," Alan said. He carefully dodged a sleeping man, almost covered by cardboards.

"Give it another hour or so before we head back and report?" Sam asked.

"I could really do with staking one of them tonight," Bridget said. "I need to vent otherwise Bobby and Imogen will be the ones getting their faces punched."

"I get Bobby for opening his mouth today but why Imogen?" Alan asked. "She hasn't said anything."

Bridget shrugged. "I know. It would just entertain me."

He sighed, giving her a look she had only ever received from her sister and parents. That disapproving glare she got whenever she was getting herself into trouble or being mouthy.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Be nice," Alan said.

"I _am _fucking nice."

"Guys!" Sam suddenly hissed. "I swear I heard someone scream."

They stopped in their tracks, keeping their eyes in different directions and didn't say a word as they listened out. For a few seconds there was nothing but the muffled laughing from a nearby crowd and the thumping music from the clubs but then there was a bloodcurdling scream, echoing further up the alley.

Alan darted in front, over to the wall and beckoned Bridget and Sam to follow him. They stayed pressed up against it as they moved quietly and quickly, weapons ready to use as they followed loud sobbing.

"_Somebody help!"_

A girl was in the arms of a blonde vampire. Her back was to them as she easily kept hold of her kicking and wriggling victim whose sobs were turning into weak whimpers and gasps.

"Drop her, Vampira," Alan snarled, pointing the stake in front of him. Both his friends cringed at his fighting talk.

"Really, Alan?" Bridget muttered.

"You're lucky you're cute, you know," the vampire said and turned to face them. Her features were human and heart wrenchingly familiar. The same full, pink lips and large, grey eyes that were wide set and looked almost doll-like. But her skin was porcelain and her pale blonde hair was a wild mess. Charlotte laughed at him and dropped the dead girl to the floor.

"That was some terrible fighting talk," she said.

Bridget put her hand to her mouth. "Charlotte?"

Her old friend stared her way. Fresh blood dripped from her mouth and she bared her blood stained teeth in a sneer.

"Things didn't get any better after I left the dance. I got kidnapped and turned into this." She gestured to herself and her eyes flashed yellow. "Fucking great night."

"I'm sorry," Bridget said.

"Sorry is not going to be good enough," Charlotte snapped. "I took my first kill last night. And that's it, isn't it? Once you kill, you're fully turned and there's no going back."

"I'm afraid so," Alan said. "There's only one solution." He raised his stake higher.

Charlotte grinned at him. "That's not going to happen."

She acted in seconds. Too fast for any of them to react. First, her face changed. Shifted into those sharp, angular features with the prominent forehead and long fangs. Then, she growled. A feral, rumbling growl. And she flew forward with the sound of screeching bats and the flapping of wings echoing around her. She soared straight into Alan, shoving him backwards before landing in between Sam and Bridget. Sam didn't even get chance to aim when she knocked the crossbow out of his hands and punched him right in the face. Pain radiated through his cheek as he stumbled back into garbage, tripping over rubbish and falling backwards.

"Bitch!" Bridget snapped and gave a cry as she ran towards Charlotte with her stake ready and aimed. All Charlotte needed to do was grab her arm, pull her closer and wrap a hand around her throat. She bared her fangs.

"Get your hands off her!" Alan ordered, scrambling to get up and off the rubbish he had landed in.

Charlotte turned to him. His knees were bent slightly, in a fighting stance as he held his stake high and kept his eyes focused on the new vampire.

"You're not going to touch her," he said, baring his teeth. "You want to pick a fight with someone, pick one with me. I'm the one who really upset you. Just let her go."

"Still protecting her," Charlotte said with a sigh. She turned to face Bridget and leered in her face. Her friend gagged, getting a whiff of blood from her breath. "What _does _he see in you?"

"I protect a lot of people," Alan said. "Give it up with all this stupid jealousy, Charlotte."

"Alright. I'll let her go. Then it's you and me," she said and threw Bridget into the wall. There was a horrible smack when her head collided with the brick building and a cry as she dropped down to the floor. Sam was by her side in seconds while Alan tried to keep his stance, ready for a fight but also tried to catch a glimpse at Bridget to see if she was alright.

"Aw, shit," Sam hissed as he took a hand away from the back of Bridget's head. There was fresh blood staining his fingertips and Bridget was also clutching her shoulder. He peeled the sleeve away to see a large red mark, already swelling and Bridget swore when he poked the injury.

"Stop prodding. Fucking hurts!" she groaned.

"Sam, get Bridget back to the Boardwalk. Then get the others," Alan ordered. Charlotte laughed and ran, disappearing down the alley.

"Don't even think about chasing after her by yourself," Sam said.

"I have to stop her," Alan argued and dashed after Charlotte, following the echoes of her giggling.

"Al! Don't be…"

It was too late. Alan had already disappeared down the street.

"An idiot." Sam sighed and wrapped his arms around Bridget, lifting her up and keeping her balanced as she wobbled on her feet. She groaned again, a hand going to where her head was cut and she looked a sickeningly pasty colour. She doubled over, as if about to be sick but all she could do was retch.

"I don't feel great," she mumbled, clutching onto Sam.

"You don't look so hot either. Come on, let's get you to the car."

She groaned again as Sam walked her back, stumbling along the way and trying to ignore how much the world felt like it was spinning around her. To keep herself awake she mumbled numerous rants over Charlotte.

"Stupid bitch… wait till I get my hands on her… gonna… fuck, what did she do to my _head?_"

* * *

><p>"Charlotte, I'm not chasing you around all night," Alan shouted as he was led into yet another small back street.<p>

"Why not? I was chasing you for years."

Charlotte stood near the back door of an old club, boarded up and covered in graffiti. He spun to face her. The blood was still on her face, drying but it looked bright red in contrast to the paleness of her skin now. She smiled when he turned to her, gesturing to him.

"This is… interesting," she said, looking him up and down. The army clothes were nothing new. Alan had always worn camouflage jackets like the one he had on now. He always sported dog tags and a black beret. But the paint on his face was new. As was the vampire hunting equipment he held. He wore a baldric across his chest and over his left shoulder with pouches that held two other stakes.

"I wouldn't have pegged you all for vampire hunters."

"Can you see why I'm friends with Bridget? We both faced vampires last summer and all we've ever been doing is hunting. Bonnie, Bernice, Sam, Edgar… we all hunt vampires. That's why we stick together. It's why we're all close."

"Hmm… no. I'm sorry, no, I don't believe that. It still doesn't explain why you act the way you do with her."

"I don't know how else to explain."

"I was really in love with you," Charlotte said. "I think a part of me still is."

When Alan didn't flinch from his stance, still holding his stake like he was ready to attack any minute, she sighed.

"Now I really have no chance, I guess. A vampire and a vampire hunter? That's definitely not going to work."

"I'm not into the walking undead," Alan said, a sneer curling on his lips. "I'm sorry, Charlotte, I really am, but you're one of them now and there's only one way to solve this."

A small smile tugged on her lips. A knowing smile. She almost couldn't contain the excitement that came over her, biting on her lower lip with her fangs to stop herself from giggling like a child on Christmas Eve. Alan frowned, slightly unnerved by that strange smile on her face and was suddenly aware of how alone he was. Sam had taken Bridget. Edgar, Bernice and Bonnie were at the Wharf and wouldn't get to Alan for a while now. He was by himself facing a vampire; a new bloodthirsty one at that. He tried not to shake or show any fear in his face.

"No, it isn't," she said and nodded behind Alan.

He froze as soon as she did that. When he heard the crunch of footsteps walking over glass he turned. Another vampire was here. Tall, gangly, with dark hair and a grin that crept up his face. Alan clenched his jaw, moving so he had both vampires in view and gripped the stake in his hands. His eyes flickered back and forth for any sign of movement between the vampires. Any indication that they were about to attack him.

But Charlotte continued to smile, way too eagerly, and the new vampire, Logan, studied Alan.

"You're just a boy," he said. "I was quite surprised to hear that Santa Carla's vampire hunting gang were a bunch of high school teens."

Alan raised an eyebrow. The vampire still had his boyish features. He was young when he had turned. Maybe just younger than Alan.

"You're just a boy, too," he commented.

Logan laughed. "I _was _a boy. I've been around for quite a while now." Without warning, he was right in front of Alan, towering over him and he knocked the stake out of Alan's hand. "I'm one hell of a vampire, kid."

"I'm one hell of a vampire hunter," Alan whispered and the vampire laughed, backing away.

"Okay, I quite like you," he said, kicking away the stake when Alan lunged for it. He grabbed the hunter by the collar of his jacket and lifted him clean off the ground. Alan kicked his shin and Logan snarled, letting go. Alan landed on his back but quickly scrambled up, grabbing the stake and running straight at the vampire.

"But you're fighting needs work," Logan said, easily sliding to the left. He stuck a leg out, tripping Alan over who stumbled. He yelled out as he flew forward and landed on the ground, hitting his forehead hard. There was almost darkness but he fought against it, swaying as he pushed himself up onto all fours.

_Holy water, _he thought. Just as the boy came up to him and reached down, Alan rolled onto his back, teeth bared as he pressed the trigger on his water gun. The water splashed on the Logan's face and he hissed, hands flying up to his face.

Those reptile-like hisses quickly turned into amused laughter while Alan scrambled away, legs kicking to push himself backwards until he felt a wall behind him. He kept the water pistol aimed, ready to hit the vampire with more water.

"You don't give up, do you? Very determined," Logan said. He glanced back at Charlotte who had been watching the fight with a cruel enjoyment. "I approve. I think we could do with someone like him."

Alan swore as he stayed crouched on the ground. His instinct didn't tell him to keep fighting. When it dawned on him what the unfamiliar vampire meant, he was ready to run. And he tried. He forced his body to move even though his head thumped and he felt sluggish from fighting. He was almost up when hands grabbed him and a knee collided into his stomach. He gasped; wheezed. Almost fell forward into the vampire but he was held up.

"That frightens you, doesn't it?" Logan asked. "There's really no need to be. I'm doing you a favour."

"Bullshit," Alan growled. He pressed his palms against the boy's shoulders, attempting to push himself away and out of the vampire's grip.

"Charlotte's told me a lot about you. You're a freak at school. You're parents neglected you."

"Shut up."

"Edgar bosses you around like a little bitch. I've seen him on hunts. He fancies himself the leader, doesn't he? And despite being his brother you're just another one of his soldiers, there to take orders instead of leading yourself. I can help, you know. I don't have to be the enemy, kid."

_Don't listen to him, _Alan thought but he could feel his blood boiling. Those words were stinging, opening up more wounds and he wanted to lash out at the boy.

Logan grinned. "You're only the sidekick, aren't you?"

Sidekick?

That single word made something snap inside Alan. It was like his own stake in the heart.

"How do I put this in terms you'd understand? Oh, yes. Edgar's Batman and you're Robin."

Alan swore out loud, yelling and screaming insults as he flailed his hands, desperately trying to punch the smirk off this vampire's face. Instead, _he_ got punched and collapsed back onto the ground, feeling the left side of his face sting and throb just like his head. It was a chore to even move his fingers and he lay there, eyes slowly closing and groaning.

"Come on, kid," Logan said and pulled him up into a sitting position. He titled Alan's chin up. "Drink this."

Darkness was quickly taking over him and Alan was barely aware of a bottle being pressed against his mouth. He wanted to raise his hand and bat whatever was near his lips away but he couldn't move. He felt numb… weak… sleepy…

In a daze, he let the strange liquid from the bottle trickle into his mouth and down his throat.

Everything finally went black.

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><p><strong>Thank you for taking the time to read and please feel free to leave a review if you'd like to. :) Next update will be on Saturday. <strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapters.**

**Elle: We shall have to see with Edgar. :) Glad you liked it.  
><strong>

**Jay Jr: Thank you for reviewing. Edgar's going to be wary for sure.**

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><p>The vampires had left Alan in the alley, battered and unconscious and ready to be dragged away by the rest of those hunters when they found him. Charlotte's victim had been burnt to an unrecognisable crisp and she now skipped merrily behind Logan as he led her back to the Astala Theatre. The building was once very regal looking theatre until its competitor, the King's Theatre, was built and took most of the business away. Marko stood at the back door to the building, taking long drags of his cigarette as he nodded at the two vampires.<p>

"Sounded like a good fight," he said and an eyebrow quirked up, directing his gaze to Logan. "Shame I didn't get a chance to step in."

"You're waiting for the element of surprise, remember," Logan said, patting him on the back as they walked back inside to the abandoned theatre.

"I've been waiting eight months," Marko said, following them backstage. They passed the former dressing rooms and towards the stage. Footsteps echoed across the creaky floorboards of the main stage where bins had been brought in and lit, giving light to the whole room. The red chairs were mostly filled with cobwebs and dust but one vampire sat at the front, finishing off the remaining blood from a male club goer. He hung limply in her arms, eyes wide and flat with his mouth hanging open. She gave a satisfied sigh as she finished the last few drops and dropped the body onto the floor.

"You spent quite a few months making sure you got your strength back. Those vampire hunters fucked you up big time," Logan said to Marko. "But you can start having your fun now."

Marko felt his jaw tighten and he wandered over to the sofa to collapse down on the dusty cushions.

_My fun or your fun? _he thought, careful not to let any of that slip to Logan. He had an advantage, not being properly back of the pack through blood, and his thoughts weren't completely open to these vampires. But they could still catch flickers of each other's thoughts. Marko didn't have all the privacy he wanted.

Personally, this was all a waste of time to him. A bunch of bratty humans had taken his pack away from him and there was only way to get them back. Those teenagers needed to be sorted out.

He stopped himself from chuckling. He couldn't believe how much he sounded like Max.

After glancing at Logan who briefly looked irritated at him, he cleared his mind and thought no more of the matter. Instead he leaned forward to grab a can of beer and mockingly saluted Logan with it.

From the stalls, Ruby stood up and stepped over the dead body she had dropped. She walked over to the stage, straight back and head high, gracefully hovering up into the air and onto the stage to join the other three vampires.

"You turned the little tadpole?" Ruby asked, referring to Alan and Charlotte gave a gleeful laugh.

"Easily done," she said and beamed. "Hopefully his first kill will that backstabbing, boy-stealing bitch." She laughed, rubbing her hands eagerly and her thoughts came up with images of Alan tearing into Bridget's neck, killing her instantly. It would be nice if she had a chance to drain her former best friend of every drop of blood in her body. However, if Alan did the deed, that would tell her that she had lost him. He wasn't hers. He belonged to Charlotte.

Ruby's lips turned up into a forced smile, nudging Logan when their newest vampire wasn't looking and that smiled turned into a cringe.

_Nice little nut-job you initiated there, _she thought and directed it to Logan's mind who smirked at her and shrugged.

"Did you say something?" Charlotte asked and Ruby flashed a toothy beam at her.

"No, Barbie Doll," she said and pressed her lips together to fight back a smirk at the girl's lack of telepathic skills.

Logan fought back his own smirk for Charlotte and cleared his throat. "It should mess that little gang up a bit. It'll break them up just by deciding what to do with their new little vampire, never mind what that Frog boy is going to be struggling with. My father's doing a better job hiding than Uncle Max ever did. They should find it difficult to figure out who the Head Vampire could be."

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><p>Alan's eyes fluttered open when he started to wake up and straight away saw black beady eyes and a snarling mouth. He yelped, feeling his heart race at the sight of this creature, and jumped up where he lost his balance and rolled right off the bed. Running footsteps pounded against the floor and from underneath the bed, Alan saw the familiar bright coloured converses rush in.<p>

"_Aw, Grandpa!_" Sam groaned when he saw the stuffed beaver and shook his head. "Sorry, man. He still gives me these ugly things."

Crawling back onto the bed, Alan clutched his throbbing head and moaned. "How did I get here?" He gazed around, squinting at the brightness of the room. There was an awful drumming in his head, pounding in his ears.

"Edgar, Bernice and Bonnie found you unconscious in the alley," Sam explained as he threw the beaver into the bottom of his cupboard. "I drove you and Bridget back to mine."

"Bridget? Bridget!" He sat up as memories of the fight flashed in his head. Quick, brief images of Charlotte, Bridget being thrown into a wall… Alan chasing after Charlotte… wasn't there another vampire?

"Bud, you need to rest. She's fine. Bonnie and Bernice are with her in Michael's room." He was following Alan as he shakily stood up, waving his hands to indicate to his friend that he needed to sit back down.

"I want to see her," Alan mumbled, staggering towards the bathroom Sam shared with Michael. He groaned at the bright light of the bathroom as he stumbled in, heading with a stagger to Michael's room. Bridget was sitting up on the bed, eyes drooping and head resting back in as she winced in pain now and again. Tripping over the mess of clothes in Michael's room, Alan managed to make his way over.

"You should be resting," Bernice told him sternly and he waved a hand.

"I'm fine," he said, sitting next to Bridget on the bed. He greeted her with a smile, reaching for her hand. "Hey. You okay?"

She pouted moodily. "I am definitely not that bitch's friend anymore. God, the next time I fucking see her –." Her rant was cut short as she moved to sit up but must have jerked something that hurt because she suddenly yelped out and she sat back in defeat, clutching her left shoulder. Alan managed to pry her fingers away to see a badly grazed shoulder that was still quite red and swollen.

"You're going to get some bad bruises there," he said.

"Oh, great. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sore," he said and left it at that. He was a soldier, not a moaner. He touched the part of his forehead that throbbed and felt a large, grazed lump that intensified with pain even by the lightest of pressure. Then his fingers traced down to his cheek that, like his forehead, felt swollen.

"I ended up getting jumped by another vampire. I think Charlotte was purposely leading me to him," Alan told the girls and Sam who had come to join them all on the bed. He found it difficult trying to focus when everyone started talking at the same time.

"Bud, why the hell did you go running off on your own?"

"I swear, I'm gonna drench that bitch in Holy water next time!"

"You shouldn't have run off. That was so freaking risky, Alan!"

"There were two of them? So it's a pack?"

Alan glanced at Bernice when she asked that question and shrugged. "I don't know. He certainly knew about us, even as vampire hunters. Like he's been watching us."

"Think we're too much of a threat now?" Sam asked.

"We're definitely known," Alan said. "And if a pack wants to settle here, they'll be wanting rid of the obstacles."

"Which is us," Bonnie said and took a deep breath. "Wow, I can't believe we're considered threats."

"It means we need to watch out for _them _hunting _us,_" Edgar said from the doorway. He marched over to the bed, hands on hips and Alan knew what was coming, already sighing and ducking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"What were you thinking? You almost got yourself killed," he snapped as Alan rolled his eyes.

"But I didn't."

"That was a real stupid thing to do. You don't go after these nightcrawlers on your own. We always stick together –." Edgar suddenly paused, frowning as he thought back to Alan's response. Everyone else glanced up at him curiously, watching the eldest Frog's expression change from confusion to suspicion.

"That's right. You didn't. Why?"

Alan shrugged. "I don't know. Blacked out, didn't I?" He muttered that last part, fists clenching at Michael's sheets and he ducked his head again shamefully.

"It's not like we interrupted them," Edgar continued, gesturing to Bonnie and Bernice. "By the time we got to you, you were lying unconscious in the alley. There weren't any vampires around."

Alan wanted to throw up. He had been left? No vampires around at all? If they were all supposed to be a threat then why hadn't he been finished off? Being beaten unconscious was the perfect chance for those vampires to kill him and have one less hunter around.

A new memory was pushing its way into Alan's head. Something that male vampire had said to Charlotte while he was punching him and throwing him around like a ragdoll. There had been a moment where Alan had stopped feeling the instinct to keep fighting and brave enough to face these vampires even though he was outnumbered. Something had scared him at one point, more terrifying than actual death.

"If we're threats, they'd be killing us off as soon as they got the chance," Bernice said quietly. Alan had noticed she had moved away from him.

"Alan, how do you feel?" Edgar asked.

"I don't know… my head hurts…"

He tried to ignore the pain in his head and cheek. He looked around, still squinting as the lights and colours almost blinded him.

Then he froze. The lights and colours.

He realised, with a chill going down his body, that everything did actually look brighter. Sharper. He saw the quick scampering of a spider on the ceiling. It was only a tiny, fat thing but he saw it, even as it blended into the shadows. He could hear mutterings downstairs from Sam's mother and Michael. And he knew it was them because he recognised their voices clearly. There was a distinct scrape of a chair across the floor as someone got up. Almost like nails on a chalkboard. It was so loud and clear, it sounded like it should have come from the room he was in. He shouldn't be able to hear that so well.

Michael's window was open and cold air blasted in. It blew against his arms but he didn't feel its coldness. In fact, it actually felt warmer than he did. He glanced down at his arm, then at his hand. Even in February he had still been quite tanned from the summer but now he looked to have lost some of that colour. It was noticeably paler now.

"No," he whispered and glanced back up at his brother, mouth hanging open in horror. He could feel wary eyes on him from his friends. "Edgar –."

Water was thrown into his face and the pain seared through him. He yelled, leaping off the bed as his skin burned. He stared at his hands that had caught some of the water. They were red and blistered and his eyes widened at the damage.

"Oh, shit," Edgar groaned. His hands shook as he screwed the bottle of Holy water back on. He suddenly felt cold. A horrible chill down his spine as he gazed at his brother.

"Alan, are you okay?" Bonnie asked, standing up to go near him. When she reached out for him he darted straight to the bathroom, almost skidding as he turned to the mirrors. Whimpering, he clutched onto the sink and stared straight at his reflection.

There it was. That horrible confirmation that his worst nightmare had just come true.

He was like a ghost in the mirror. Fading and pale.

The memory was coming back now. As he began to drift into blackness and faint from the fight, the boy had told him to drink. Something had pressed against his lip and then there was a strange taste, rich and copper that was addictive as he let himself drink more of it.

"Alan?"

He didn't look at Bonnie as she came in, unable to take his eyes off the reflection in front of him.

"I let myself be turned," he whispered.

"It's not your fault," she said.

"I'm a monster."

"No you're not! Alan, stop talking like that." She touched his shoulder lightly and he flinched away. "You're going to be fine."

"You can't promise that," he said. "What if…?"

He pressed his lips together, almost throwing up. He couldn't bear to even say the words.

"You're not going to turn fully. Look, I've been through this. I almost turned last summer but you, Edgar, and Sam saved me. We're all going to do the same for you."

Edgar appeared behind her, cautiously gazing at his brother and Alan wanted to scream at him to stop looking at him like that.

"You cool?" Edgar asked.

"I'm not going to bite anyone if that's what you're asking," Alan said and Bonnie glared at Edgar.

"It is possible to control it," she said.

"But not always. I seem to remember you losing it a few times," Edgar reminded her. "You were about to kill Bridget when Max got staked and roasted."

"Then we help him control it," Bonnie said, touching Alan's arm. "He needs us, Edgar. Especially you."

Edgar glared back at her before he suddenly sighed and his facial expression relaxed. His eyes suddenly looked weary and he gave a nod.

"Sorry, Alan," he said. "We'll get this sorted. I promise you. No brother of mine is going to be sporting fangs for the rest of eternity."

Alan nodded glumly and followed Bonnie and Edgar back inside. He hated the eyes that turned his way when he stepped back into Michael's room. Sam and Bernice stared at him as if he had grown two extra heads. He knew they couldn't help it. Despite being their friend, he was also something else now. Something that could easily lose control and become the enemy and dangerous. He glanced at Bridget as he moved to the chest of drawers, choosing to stay there instead of joining everyone on the bed. Every time he looked her way she averted her eyes and he felt a pang of shame each time she did that.

"We're going to have to do a lot of hunts," Edgar said. "These vampires know us and probably have more in store for us than killing and getting us out of the way. They're going to be bothering us for a while."

"Think they want to turn all of us?" Bernice asked.

"I don't know," Edgar said and everyone noticed his voice shook. "We need to find out more before something else happens."

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. :) If you would like to leave a review, please feel free to. Chapter 11 will be up next Saturday.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Elle, please to hear you enjoyed it! **

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><p>Edgar had thought it was best for Alan to fake sickness instead of going to school the next day. His parents, Aunt Pam, and Uncle Gerry would all be working. That meant Alan would be by himself, isolated and away from the temptation of blood. Only Edgar saw the relief in that idea. Alan, at first, had thought it was insulting that Edgar was locking him away, as if he wouldn't be able to control this new nature that was slowly trying to poison everything human about him. He felt like a caged animal, too wild and out of control to be trusted into society. But then he heard that familiar drum beat of his brother's pulse, saw a long blue vein on his neck, and his throat burned. His teeth ached.<p>

_Maybe Edgar's right, _he thought. _Probably best to stay here._

Before Edgar had left for school, he came up to check on his brother. He found Alan sitting up on his bed, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. He was still dressed in his wrinkled pajama bottoms and a baggy black t-shirt that made his paler skin more noticeable.

"I need to go to school. Everyone else has already left. Are you going to be okay?" Edgar asked.

Alan nodded but didn't say a word. Edgar glanced around Alan's room, noticing the curtains were drawn, blocking any sunlight and the cross he usually kept above his bed for protection had gone.

"Stay here," he said and closed the door. Alan heard his brother's footsteps down the stairs, greeting Sam who he could clearly hear was asking about him and then there was the slamming of the front door.

Silence.

Alan let his shoulders slump and he stretched his legs out across his bed. A long sigh escaped his lips now that he was free of hearing heart beats and smelling blood, even if it was only for a while. However, there was still that dull ache in his teeth, where his canines and incisors were and he dashed to the bathroom, hand clutched to his mouth.

He shuddered at the sight of that ghostly reflection. His mirror-self stared back glumly, lips turned downwards into a frown. The cut on his forehead had disappeared completely. There wasn't even a lump and his cheek wasn't swollen either. Everything had healed.

He wasn't sure if it was a good thing that he was pleased with the non-existent injuries.

_Don't think like that, _he thought. _Don't, at any time, think there are advantages to this._

When he used his finger to pull back his top lip, he saw his teeth were still normal. But the ache was still there, a shooting pain from him gums straight up his cheeks and towards his ears. He poked at his teeth with his tongue, starting to get curious, but nothing happened. They didn't lengthen. He kept poking and prodding until he finally gave up… and had to clutch onto the sink when a twisting stab of pain swept through his stomach.

He winced, groaning out loud, and he felt two stings inside his mouth, right on his bottom lip. While a part of him pleaded with himself not to look up, there was another part that couldn't help but give into that curiosity. He wanted to see. Maybe it would be so horrifying he would stay motivated to resist turning completely.

The rest of his face hadn't changed. There were no sharp angles, no deformed forehead that drooped towards his nose like he had seen on all vampires. But his eyes were not his usual brown. They were the same as any other vampire he had seen. Yellow with blood red rims. He shuddered at the sight. They automatically looked evil. Even with his own facial expressions twisted in horror and repulsion he still looked like he was about to take a bite out of someone.

The fangs also didn't help him look innocent.

His teeth had finally sharpened. The aching had gone. The incisors had lengthened to delicate needle like points with the canines shorter.

All he could manage was a feeble moan as he ducked his head, knuckles white as they gripped onto the sides of the bathroom sink. The change was already torture. Mostly with the way everyone had been acting around him and looking at him. The experience of letting himself get turned was humiliating and bad enough but what felt worse was how wary everyone had begun to act around him. Edgar had been silent the way back to their house last night as Sam drove. He kept turning around to look at Alan in the back, probably to check that he hadn't decided to feed on Bonnie who had sat next to him. Alan couldn't help sense that Edgar was actually judging him. There was something in his stare. Like a disappointed parent. Sam kept asking if Alan was alright. Over and over again. After the fourth time Alan got the impression that his friend really had no clue what to say to him. He also noticed how much Sam flinched every time he fidgeted or moved in the back. Bonnie was probably the only one who was still treating him relatively normal. Now and again, she had moved her hand across to pat his, silently reassuring him all the way home. She smiled at him, tried to talk to him and while he felt bad that most of his answers and replies were grunts, he really didn't feel like talking to anyone.

Bernice had been keeping her distance. Like Sam, she seemed to want to talk to him but she never did, always stopping as soon as she opened her mouth. Probably because she also couldn't find the right words or know what to ask him. She had muttered a quick goodbye when they all separated into the two cars and tried to smile at Alan but it had turned into a grimace. Bridget's reaction was the one that really got to him. She had become his closest friend, closer than anyone else, and he was used to her always being around him, laughing and joking as they took on the confusing world of high school and being a teenager together. He didn't realize how used he was to having her by his side until last night when she wouldn't even look at him. If there was anyone he wanted to talk to, he would have chosen Bridget but he had not even been able to make eye contact with her last night. She had trudged off with Bernice back to their house, barely muttering a goodbye to Alan. Not even a hug.

It stung. It really did. It was almost a shock to him how much he felt upset by it.

When he glanced back at his reflection again, he was normal again. Normal, human teeth. Normal, brown eyes.

But for how long?

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><p>"So we have a half-vampire that could flip out at any minute and a grounded vampire hunter," Edgar said to his friends and sighed.<p>

They had all gathered in a spare classroom, keeping away from the door so a teacher wouldn't walk by and throw them all out. The group was small now, only consisting of Bernice, Bonnie, Edgar, and Sam. Alan had been left at home for obvious reasons and Edgar planned to keep it like that if they could fake sickness for long. Bridget, however, had been suspended for behaviour and ditching school. It was an extreme measure but her school record had not been in her favour despite her high grades. The principle had asked for her parents to attend a meeting that morning and suspended her for two days even though a case had been made that she was upset over the disappearance of Charlotte. All the principle really offered were compulsory sessions with the Guidance Counsellor every Friday. She was still suspended.

While the Santa Carla police department were known for their lax attitude, Montessari High School was unfortunately known for running a tight ship on their students.

"I don't think Bridget would manage to sneak out. Honestly, with the way Mom and Dad flipped out on her last night, I don't think she'd actually _dare _to sneak out," Bernice said.

"That bad, huh?" Bonnie asked, cringing for her friend.

"Trust me, they don't take any bullshit."

"How long is she grounded for?" Edgar asked.

"As long as her suspension. She's only allowed out for work and Mom said she'll take her there and pick her up. They're definitely keeping a close eye on her."

Edgar groaned. "Great. We need as many of us out there as possible. Someone out there is planning something for us and we need a full team."

"Wouldn't it best to take Alan with us?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, we could keep an eye on him. He needs us," Bonnie said.

Edgar shook his head. "I dunno. I don't want to be keeping an eye out for vampires and watching him at the same time."

Bonnie put her hands on her hips. "And he'll be safer near your parents who constantly wind him up?" She scowled, her round face scrunched up as her eyes narrowed. "Why do I get the feeling you want him out of the way because you can't freaking deal?"

"Hey, I'm dealing! I'm trying to figure out how we're going to find this pack properly and figure out who the Head Vampire is. If it's anything like the last pack, the Head is not going to be with them," Edgar argued.

Truth was, he couldn't deal. He averted his eyes straight after arguing with Bonnie, sensing her gaze still on him. It had been easier dealing with Bonnie and Michael when they had been turned half. Michael was a complete stranger who Edgar knew he would be fine staking if the worst case scenario happened. Even though Bonnie was a friend, she had done a risky thing by willingly turning half to keep Max's pack from killing her. If she had ended up going all the way, Edgar had been ready to step in and do his duty.

But this was Alan. His brother. When he saw how his brother's skin burned at the touch of Holy water his whole world had flipped upside down and it felt like someone had ripped through his heart. Without really knowing where Charlotte was and who this other vampire had been, Edgar had felt the panic teem up inside of him. Where on earth were they supposed to start? And if he had no clue where to start or who this pack could be, how was he supposed to help his brother and stop him from turning? The vampire blood kicked in fast. The more days Alan had as a half vampire, the more he would lose his humanity.

"All the more reason to keep Alan with us," Bonnie said. "If they want him, they'll be searching for him."

"I think she's right, Edgar," Sam said quietly. "We need to keep Alan with us. Maybe it'll draw them out."

"Fine," Edgar muttered, rubbing his forehead with his fingers and was relieved when the bell rang, loud and shrill in their ears. They broke away, heading out of the classroom. But when they came to separate for classes, Sam followed Edgar.

"Don't you have class?" Edgar asked.

"Study period. Bud, wait up a sec."

He touched Edgar's shoulder, halting him in the hallway and waited until the Frog brother turned around to face him.

"Look, I know what it's like," Sam said. "About having your brother turned. I wanted to save Michael but at the same time I was shit scared of him. And at one point there was a part of me that thought he wasn't going to actually do anything about it. I didn't know what I was going to do. I hated it when you and Alan kept telling me Michael would have to die but when he wasn't getting anywhere I was terrified that you might end up being right."

"You're not making me feel any better, man," Edgar mumbled.

"Sorry. Look, my point is that it's okay if you're scared of him right now. But he's your brother and you need to make him feel like he still is. Michael changed after being turned. He was growing distant with us all. Don't let Alan get like that. It'll help push him away more. He's counting on you."

Before Edgar could answer, Sam gave a brief nod and patted his friend's shoulder. He disappeared into the crowd, remarkably blending in even with that horrible bright green shirt he had chosen to wear.

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><p>Bridget sat in her room, cross legged on her bed as she looked down at a photo in her hands. It was a nice photo of her and Alan, even though he had been forced into having it taken. Bonnie had insisted on a Christmas party at hers where they exchanged presents and the girls had attempted to cook a lasagna for the boys. At the party, Alan and Bridget were stood near the tree, a perfect photo opportunity in Bonnie's mind. They had stood shoulder to shoulder, Bridget slightly learning into Alan and both had their arms folded. The only smile Alan had managed to make was a small, slightly proud smile with his head titled back a bit. Bridget could never take a photo seriously for long and despite having a bright smile on her face at first, Bonnie had simply taken too long and by the time she pressed the button, Bridget had decided to pose as if she was incredibly baffled. The corner of her lips tugged up and her eyes widened, making her eyebrows look more arched.<p>

She kept her gaze on Alan, thinking back to last night. Her stomach sank as she remembered how she acted. He was supposed to be her best friend and all she could do was avoid his eyes. Not even a hug when they all parted ways for home and she had seen the hurt etched on his face when she had glanced back.

Of course she wanted to hug him. She wanted to be by his side all night, telling him that everything was going to be fine. That those bastard vampires weren't going to have him because he belonged with them.

But those words couldn't be forced from her lips. He was a half vampire and that's all she could think about. All she could see were fangs and glowing yellow eyes.

"Knock, knock," Bernice said, peering into Bridget's room. With a jolt, Bridget's hands flew behind her back, hiding the photo but Bernice nodded towards her sister. "What you looking at?"

She came to sit down on Bridget's bed, pushing aside her sister's guitar and textbooks from school. Biting her lip, Bridget didn't answer at first but soon slowly brought her hands back and held up the photo.

"Are you okay?" Bernice asked, her features softening into a look of sympathy.

"I was a bitch last night," Bridget said and rested her back against her headboard. "I couldn't even look at him."

"Yesterday was weird. Horrible and weird," Bernice said and frowned. "It's been a while since one of our friends was turned."

"I didn't know what to say or do," Bridget muttered, glancing down at the photo again. All it was doing was reminding her that Alan wasn't human anymore. He was halfway to being one of them and it made her hands shake as she held the photo.

"What's really upsetting you?" Bernice asked, reaching over to take her sister's hand. "When Bonnie had been turned you were ready to fight. I've never seen you look so miserable."

"We had leads," Bridget answered. "We knew who the vampires were and had plans to sort it out. What if we can't do that this time? What if…?" She stopped, the words unable to form and she looked away, lips pressing together and eyes suddenly looking watery.

"Sweetie, we're not going to lose him," Bernice said and moved so she was sitting right next to Bridget. She lifted her arm up to wrap it around her younger sister's shoulders and pulled her closer.

"Sorry," Bridget muttered, rubbing at her eyes and smudging her eyeliner in the process. "We're going to fight. And we're going to win." She gave a sharp nod but stayed huddled near her sister. She may have been using fighting talk but the frown stayed on her lips, her tone of voice not sounding as determined as it usually did when she was proclaiming their impending success. Bridget noticed her own lack of optimism and she sighed.

"She's still obsessed with Alan," she said.

"She? Oh. Charlotte."

Bridget nodded. "She wants him. And she probably thinks she's hurting me in the process. Like we're in competition and she's stealing him away from me."

"Charlotte is a psychotic bitch. She's not taking him away from you," Bernice said and squeezed her sister's shoulder. "You two are like this." She held up her hands, crossing her fingers and flashed a bright smile.

"That nut job is an idiot if she thinks she could break you two up," she teased and nudged Bridget who suddenly scowled.

"We're not boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Well, you weren't dancing like friends last Friday."

She laughed when she saw her sister's cheeks reddened and tried to make an excuse but her words were mumbled. She wasn't sure they were even words coming from Bridget's mouth. She cleared her throat, as if that would stop the redness in her cheeks and she tossed the photo further onto the bed before learning away from her older sister and folded her arms.

"Don't you have homework to do?" she asked Bernice who laughed again but got off the bed and started heading to the door. Thankfully, she didn't say anything else on the matter, leaving Bridget to sit there pouting and trying to stop her face from resembling a tomato. But now that Bernice had mentioned the dance, it was all that Bridget could think of. Over and over again in her head. It had been such a brief but very strange moment where it really didn't feel like friendship anymore. There had been something comforting about having his arms around her waist like that.

With a sigh, Bridget reached over for the photo again, taking another quick look before putting it back in the drawer on her bedside table. Despite that brief talk with Bernice, being comforted back into optimism, it was all fading away again.

Her stomach flipped at the thought of Alan turning.

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><p><strong>Feel free to review and thanks for reading! Chapter 12 will be posted next Saturday.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to CastleRockGirl, Silverheels12, and Elle (response below) for reviewing and thank you to new favourites/followers.**

**Elle: Thanks! Always fun to get into characters' heads. ^^**

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><p>Edgar warily peered into the house when they came back from school. He shouldn't have thought it but as soon as he saw his Aunt Pam's car, his mind went straight to the worst case scenario. He had to clench his jaw and force himself not to think like that about his brother. Especially when Alan had given no reason for him to be wary.<p>

"Bud, you look like you're about to throw up," Sam said, walking behind Edgar as they came up to his house. His friend glanced back, a guilty cringe forming on his face.

"I do?"

"Is Alan already that bad?" Sam asked.

"Well… no."

Sam tilted his head, frowning. "Remember what I said earlier? He needs a brother."

Edgar sighed as he took out his keys from his bag. "I can't help it. A vampire –."

"Is a vampire," Sam interrupted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I remember how you treated Michael. And Bonnie mentioned how you ready to stake her in the comic store that day she turned to you for help."

"Didn't I help them?" Edgar asked, casting a glare at Sam. He looked insulted, as if Sam had been unfair in bringing that up.

"Reluctantly. I heard about how you chased Star and Laddie around with a stake at my house that night." Now it was Sam's turn to sigh as Edgar muttered to himself and let them both in. "Just quit treating Alan like a vampire when he hasn't actually done anything."

"Yet," Edgar said under his breath and looked straight to the stairs. "Alan?"

"He's upstairs. Edgar, can I have a word?" Aunt Pam said. She was in the kitchen with their mother and when he caught sight of them, Aunt Pam crooked a finger as she beckoned him over.

"I had a call from school today," she said. "They wanted to know why Alan wasn't in school."

"He's sick," Edgar said, coming in with Sam. Aunt Pam glanced up from the dough she was kneading and peered over her glasses at him.

"Oh, really? So he's not ditching again like he did yesterday?"

Even though it hadn't been Edgar to break the rules he still felt like he wanted to crawl into a black hole.

"The school rang me at work," she said. "Apparently Alan argued with another boy in one of his classes, stormed out with Bridget and they both decided to waltz off out of the school."

Sam stood at the doorway awkwardly until Aunt Pam finally noticed him and she smiled weakly at him.

"Sam, dear, I don't think I'll be allowing Alan to have any friends over today."

"Oh. Okay, I'll just… leave." He muttered a goodbye to Edgar and made a quick exit. When he had shut the door behind him, Edgar broke his silence.

"Look, something really upset Alan –."

"I've spoken to him already. I know this is about that girl disappearing. But it's no excuse, especially to fake sickness and not go to school. The principle is not impressed," Aunt Pam explained. Her tone was much softer now as was her facial expression. She sighed, shaking her head slightly while Mrs Frog clicked her tongue.

"Personally, I'd tell that principle to go fu –."

"Lorna, please don't," Aunt Pam interrupted while Edgar bit back a smirk. His mother glanced at him, shrugged and took a drag of her cigarette.

"We used to skip school all the time," Mrs Frog said to him. A smile washed over her face, somewhat nostalgic as she stared into the distance. "Me and your father. We took part in some far out protests."

"Well, Alan wasn't protesting about a war," Aunt Pam reminded her. "He was letting his temper get the better of him. Tomorrow, he is going to school. He's lucky the principle took his record into consideration. Hopefully his friend didn't get into much trouble either."

"Bridget?" Edgar cringed. "No, she's got busted. Big time."

"Well, that's hardly fair," Mrs Frog said. "Why punish the girl and not the boy? Is the principle a man?"

"It's nothing to do with sexism, Mom," Edgar said, sighing, before his mother could start another rant. "Bridget doesn't exactly have a great behaviour record."

"Well, I hope she's not influencing him," Aunt Pam said. Her clipped, stern tone was back.

"They were just upset. People at school are saying a lot of shit –."

Aunt Pam pointed a finger at him. "Language."

"Sorry. People are saying a lot of crap –."

"That's not an improvement."

Edgar sighed again. "People have been saying silly stuff about them. That's all it is."

"Like what?"

"Trust me, Aunt Pam, it's really nothing bad. He's just sensitive. I'm going to go see him." He pointed upstairs and grabbed his schoolbag, letting it thump against the floorboards as he stomped his way up the stairs. When he reached Alan's door at the end of the hallway he knocked a couple of times before hearing his brother's voice, quiet and tired.

"Come in."

He opened it up, staying in the doorway. The curtains were still closed, barely letting any sunlight in through the dark material. Alan was sitting up on his bed. His hair was sticking out at all angles and his t-shirt had more wrinkles in compared to earlier that morning. He rubbed at his eyes, dozily looking towards Edgar way before squinting and holding his hands up in front of his eyes as shields.

"Have you been asleep?" Edgar asked.

Alan nodded. "I couldn't stay awake much longer after you all left." He yawned, a flash of normal, human teeth to Edgar's relief, and slumped against the wall.

"Are you still…?"

His brother shot him a look of pure annoyance. "Of course I am. What do you take me for?"

Edgar raised an eyebrow at him as if the answer should have been obvious. "A hungry half-vampire," he said. "You'd do the same if I had been the one to turn."

"I wouldn't be such a dick about it," Alan muttered and Edgar frowned. He remembered what Sam had said to him. That even as a half-vampire Alan's perspective would change, unable to help feeling distant from humanity. No matter how close he was to people, that vampire waking up inside of him would push him away. Annoying his brother and making him feel more like a monster really wasn't going to help.

"Sorry," he said and Alan shrugged.

"S'okay, I guess. I'm not pleased with myself either."

Edgar closed the door to his brother's bedroom and came to sit down on the desk chair.

"What did this other vampire look like? Ever seen him before?"

"No. Complete stranger. Tall, black hair, thin. He looked like he made the change quite young. I'd say our age or at least a year younger. He knew Charlotte though. Maybe that's the one who turned her."

"The police said her friends had mentioned a guy she was dancing with." Edgar frowned, shaking his head confused. "Why turn Charlotte though?"

"She led me to that vampire," Alan said, thinking back to that night. It was easier to remember what had happened now that he had completely healed from the fight. "She wanted me turned and he agreed. In some sick way, I think she still likes me."

"They can't be together. Like, a couple." Edgar paused briefly to shudder and he stuck his tongue out as he gagged at the thought of a vampire boyfriend and girlfriend. "Obviously, because she was after you. I don't think a vampire would turn a person out of interest and then let them turn their human crush. He chose her for a reason."

"We've killed a lot of vampires," Alan added. They were both leaning forward now. Edgar in the chair. Alan on his bed. Their eyes were wide, almost excitable and childlike, as they discussed these strange vampires and their motives.

"Maybe we've killed the wrong one at some point."

"They want revenge."

"Charlotte would know a lot about us so she'd be a handy source of information. And maybe she was promised you in return for turning and being loyal."

Alan's face fell, suddenly looking ashamed again and he ducked his head. "What's the best way to destroy a vampire hunter?"

Edgar's expression took on a look of sheer determination. Jaw clenched, his square face hardened as his mouth pulled into a tight, grim line and he balled up his left hand into a fist.

"They aren't destroying you. _We're_ destroying _them_," he said. "Awesome Monster Bashers, man."

Alan snorted, glancing up at his brother with a small smile. "The meanest."

"The baddest." Edgar smiled at his brother and reached over to pat him on the shoulder. "When Aunt Pam has gone to bed, we'll sneak you out and go on a hunt. See if we can find that bastard vampire and get some answers."

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><p>When Aunt Pam excused herself for an early night after baking for her shop and cooking tea for them, Edgar and Alan made their way downstairs. They came across their mother outside on the porch who took one glance at Alan, smiled and started rambling on about sticking the middle finger up to authority. She had tried to pat him on the back as he walked past her but he dodged her hand and didn't respond to her praising of his "rebelliousness".<p>

"You could be a bit nicer, you know," Edgar said as they walked to Sam's car. Bernice and Bonnie were already sitting inside. "Mom covers for us when we sneak out."

"Maybe I prefer parents actually being parents," Alan muttered, dumping his bag in Sam's boot. He frowned as he glanced inside the car. "Where's Bridget?"

"She's grounded," Bernice explained and opened the door for him. He slid in the backseat, frowning at Bernice and Bonnie.

"For yesterday?"

"You really don't ditch school in my family," Bernice said and started touching a different finger on her hand at a time. "And she's also suspended… she has to attend counselling… "

"Why?"

"Because unlike you, Mr Goody-Two-Shoes, Bridget doesn't have a clean record at school," Bonnie said, nudging him.

"Can I see her?"

Bernice cringed as she started the car and jolted off. "Not allowed to have friends over either. Besides, I think she's a little freaked out by you."

"Oh." Alan sat back, moving his head so he stared out the window and watching the blur of the streets go by as Sam drove them to town. There it was again. That tightness in his chest. Disappointment snaking its way around him.

"Oh no, I didn't mean she hates you now. No, she still cares about you. She'll get over it," Bernice said, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's just because the last time there was a half vampire around us Bridget almost got eaten. Twice. She's just wary."

"Only because she kept pissing Bonnie off a lot. And Bonnie easily flips her lid," he said.

"What – hey!" Bonnie gave a cry of protest; another one when no-one swooped in to defend her and help her argue her case. "You guys suck," she muttered.

"She'll be fine. You're still her best friend," Bernice said, still smiling.

Alan left it at that, nodding at what Bernice had said but didn't feel comforted whatsoever. In all honestly, he would rather Bridget wasn't freaked out to begin with. It only kept reminding him of how different he was now. So different not even his best friend could act normal or comfortable around him.

Sam glanced at his forlorn friend in the back and tried to put on his best optimistic smile.

"You'll be human again in no time, bud. I helped my brother and I'm gonna help you," he vowed.

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><p>Edgar stuck with Alan as they wandered around the Boardwalk. They kept their weapons hidden, looking instead like two sullen boys in army gear. Edgar kept his eyes half on the crowd and half on his brother whose jaw was clenched and tiny beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.<p>

"Dude, you okay?" Edgar asked.

Alan swallowed thickly, nodding but the tiny whimpers of hunger and pain said otherwise.

"Maybe we should swap with the others," Edgar said. "We'll take Downtown and they'll take the Boardwalk."

He patted his brother on the back and led him away, trying to dodge people and make sure Alan didn't get too close to someone. Although it didn't matter if they weren't close when they passed. Alan could smell every different scent. Rich, sweet, metallic, fruity… all tantalisingly delicious. Heartbeats thumped in his ears. Slow, calm thuds from most of the crowds but if someone moved quicker or danced on the beach, the drumming quickened. The blood smelt stronger from the most active ones.

"Hey." Edgar jabbed an elbow into Alan's side and he growled in response. "Cool it, man. You're actually sniffing the air."

Alan didn't realise that his head had tilted back slightly and his eyes had been closed. He ducked his head, folding his arms across his chest as if to shield himself from all the smells.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I can't help it."

Edgar sighed. "I know, man. But you're gonna have to. If you don't want to turn, you need to control yourself."

Alan nodded, closing his eyes again briefly before scanning the Boardwalk again. It was easier said than done. It wasn't just the sounds and smells that had that vampire in him surfacing. He could see where the right veins were. On the wrists and neck. Most of his senses were not helping him push this monstrous part of him away.

"We'll get you out of here," Edgar said and they sped up, heading straight into the Downtown area. Already it was calming Alan down. Most people were already in their chosen bars for the night and the hunters' usual haunts they chose were in the secluded alleyways where they were more likely to come across a feeding vampire. Anywhere private enough to feed without being disturbed.

Following Sam's directions on the walkie talkie, Edgar led Alan to a very narrow backstreet where Bonnie, Bernice, and Sam had been checking out.

"Mind if we swap?" Edgar asked and nodded his head towards at Alan. "He's not doing too well."

"No, that's fine. It's been pretty much dead. In the good sense," Sam said. He gestured to the girls and they followed him. Bonnie paused briefly to squeeze Alan's shoulder who smiled gratefully and whispered he'd be fine when he saw her worried look.

"Call if you need us," Bonnie said to the both of them and disappeared around the corner. Edgar dropped his rucksack, taking out his security belt with large pouched sewed in and three stakes. Now that they weren't in the crowds, they were both free to get their weapons out. Alan had one of his own belt with smaller pockets, usually perfect for carrying bottles of Holy water but tonight he didn't dare have the stuff near him. He carried one stake in his hand while Edgar took charge of the water guns and bottles filled with the burning liquid. At least Alan was able to carry his trusty Bowie knife around. A handy weapon to grab if he lost all his stakes. He slipped his knife into the pocket, helped Edgar do another quick check of weapons and they kept going down the alley.

They moved almost silently down the back streets, moving straight to the walls if they heard a sound or turned so they were back to back and scanned the dim alleys around them. Edgar squinted into the darkness, trying to get his eyes adjusted to the darker area after the bright lights of the Boardwalk but Alan noticed he could see fine. Everything was brighter and sharper, even in the shadows.

Again… handy. But he tried not to admit that to himself.

"I don't see or hear anything," he whispered.

Edgar glanced over his shoulder. "I hope you're not using those unnatural senses of yours."

"Can't really switch it off. Be careful. You're walking too loudly. And calm your heartbeat."

Alan felt his brother tense and the drumming of his heart quickened instead. But then he heard slow breathing. In… hold… out… in…

Edgar treaded quietly as he turned to stand by Alan's side again. His face looked tight and stretched, lines creasing in his forehead but he still tried to steady his heart.

"You're creeping me out," he said to the younger Frog who shrugged.

"Just trying to help you if you want the element of surprise on a vampire."

"I don't think you should be using these… abilities."

Alan sighed. "I told you, I can't help it. I'm not tuning into anything. What I see, hear, smell, touch, taste, it's all amplified and out of my control." With an annoyed shake of his head, Alan continued to snap at his brother and walked off in front. "You don't understand."

"Humans never do."

Edgar almost jumped into Alan, nearly tripping them both over and onto the ground. But he balanced himself, spinning around with a stake in one hand and a cross in the other. His brother winced, backing away when Edgar held the object up.

"Sorry, bro," he muttered.

"It's cool. Don't worry about me. Keep it out," Alan said. He glared at the vampire boy from the other night, pointing his stake at the stranger and growled. "I want some answers. Who the hell are you?"

"Okay, kid. The name's Logan. Guess it's about time we introduced each other properly, even though I already know you." Logan beamed. "After all, you'll be joining us soon."

Alan gave a wry laugh. "I wasn't the best choice for turning, I'm afraid. I'd rather stake myself than turn completely."

"We'll find the Head Vampire," Edgar added. "Don't underestimate us."

"I don't. I know you're the Real McCoy. You and your little gang of hunters. Might as well put your talents to good use although not everyone can join. Can't take everyone. Things go wrong when there are too many."

"Bad experience there?" Alan asked, sneering.

Logan's smile faded. "I've seen it happen."

He started to turn away when Edgar shouted at him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Logan peered over his shoulder. "Oh, I wasn't here to fight. Just wanted to see how my new recruit was doing." He grinned at Alan, taking in the half vampire's tense posture. He was breathing heavily, slightly wheezing. While his eyes were a normal, human colour they had a definite hunger shining in them.

"You don't look too good, kid," Logan commented.

Alan spoke through his teeth. "I'm fine."

"No-one is taking my brother away," Edgar snapped.

"It won't be your decision to make," Logan said to him and nodded at Alan. "He'll make the choice himself."

"I'll kill the Head Vampire," Edgar said.

"You'll have to find the Big Cheese first."

With the last word and a mocking chuckle, Logan flew up into the air and disappeared into the night sky.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading! If you would like to leave a review, please feel free. :) Chapter 13 will up next Saturday. <strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to prepare4trouble, silverheels12, and Elle for your reviews **

**Elle: Haha, a swear jar sounds like the perfect idea. Don't think Eddie would be too thrilled though! =P Thank you for reviewing. ^^**

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><p>Marko watched in the shadows of the club doorway. He stayed near a crowd of college students, taking long drags of his cigarette. That Emerson boy's car was parked on the side of the street and now he returned, yawning and sluggish with Bonnie and that blonde female friend of hers. B… something. He'd only spoken to her once and the name evaded him, but he remembered what a stuck up little snob she had been, looking down her nose at him and his pack brothers that time at the beach last summer.<p>

He bared his teeth in a sneer. One of the very few girls to dislike him.

Sam was pointing to a piece of paper that had been stuck in his windscreen wiper and Marko smirked. His gaze went straight to Bonnie. She had been skipping towards the car, the usual bounce in her step with a beam on her freckled face. But now she stopped, coming to a halt and the smile faded as she frowned at the paper. Marko moved closer to the shadows and watched.

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><p>"What the hell?" Sam grabbed the paper. "That better not be a ticket."<p>

He unfolded it, biting at his lip, but then his mouth parted. He whispered a swear word and glanced up at the girls.

"What is it?" Bonnie asked. She held her hand out, beckoning for the paper. Reluctantly, Sam passed it to her and Bernice peered over her friend's shoulder.

It was a detailed pencil sketch, smudged where the shading went, of their small group, excluding Alan. Bonnie, Sam, Edgar, Bernice, Bridget… they were all drawn to lie on the floor in a pile with eyes wide open and gashes in their necks. Like they had been torn into. Bite marks. In spidery handwriting above their sketches were the words: 'You missed'.

"Bonnie?"

Sam touched one of her hands and she noticed that she was trembling.

"You missed? Who missed what?" Bernice asked but Bonnie couldn't form the words to respond. Her instinct went to one person who could have drawn this, which was impossible because he was dead. Properly dead. Edgar had shoved a stake through his heart. Sam and Alan had told her they had seen it happen with their own eyes.

But was it possible? None of them had stayed to make sure. They had been chased out of the cave by David.

She looked away from the picture, breathing shakily. As she did, her eyes happened to look over to the nightclub on the corner. She saw curly blonde hair… a colourful, patched up jacket… one that was all too familiar. Her entire body turned to ice.

Marko flashed a cruel sneer at her before disappearing around the corner.

"No," she whispered, not aware she was backing away until she bumped into the front of Sam's car. Her eyes crinkled, blurry with tears.

"That's not possible," Sam said. He shook his head when Bernice turned to gawp at him. "It's not possible!"

He was there. Right there, in the cave. He saw Edgar drive a stake right through the vampire's heart. He remembered the screaming. Marko falling with his howls echoing all around. The vampire writhing on the ground with blood splattering everywhere. It was like a volcano erupting. Edgar and Alan had been covered in it. There was no way Marko could have survived.

And yet he had been standing right there in the doorway of the club.

"Edgar killed him. I saw it!" Sam said. He turned to Bonnie who stayed backed away, eyes widening as she stared at the spot where Marko had been. But suddenly she lurched forward, quickly moving into a sprint as she raced towards the alley.

"Bonnie!" Bernice shrieked, arms reaching out for her friend but by the time she had done so, Bonnie was already racing away. She tugged on Sam's arm, pulling at the material of his shirt and gestured to where their friend had disappeared. "Come on!"

Until Bonnie had skidded to a halt in the dark alley, she hadn't exactly thought or even realised what she was doing. She whipped her head around, searching for him. To catch that flash of colour or curly blonde hair. As she did, her heartbeat picked up. It thumped against her chest as if begging to burst out. She wanted to call out his name, demand for him to show his face but when her mouth opened, her words got caught. Tangled up.

"Bonnie!"

Bernice and Sam caught up to her. Sam raised his crossbow, aiming in every area and keeping an eye on their surroundings as Bernice dashed in front of her friend and grabbed at her upper arms.

"We need to get out here," she said to Bonnie. "We need to find Edgar and Alan and get the hell away from this place."

"He's hiding. I want to see him," Bonnie snapped. She was still looking around, almost not hearing Bernice as her friend tried to coax her into leaving. But she wanted to see Marko. If he was alive, she wanted him to show his face.

She got her wish when she heard him snickering behind them. He leaned against a wall, thumbnail to his mouth to hide that smirk and Bonnie felt like she had travelled back in time. Back to last summer when Marko was nothing more than a biker to her.

For somebody who was supposed to be dead, he looked unharmed and arrogant. He had a new white top on. Another wifebeater vest. He still wore his badge covered jacket, a size large that made his slim frame look bulkier than it was, and chaps over his jeans and dirt covered boots. Even though she knew what he was, she still saw an innocent face. Blonde and blue eyed, he never looked like a killer unless his facial features changed.

Her stomach lurched at the sight of him. A pang in her chest because despite what he put her through last summer, before revealing what he was, she had truly been enjoying his company. She had been having fun.

"You're supposed to be dead," she finally said and gritted her teeth when she heard the shaking in her voice. At the sound of her fear, Marko's smirk widened and in response she scowled. Was he getting a kick from how scared she sounded?

"Edgar has a shit aim," Marko said and his eyes flickered over to Sam. "I guess shouting at the toads didn't help either. But it worked out well for me so… thanks, brat."

"Don't thank me," Sam said. "We'll sort our mistake out." He gripped onto his crossbow but all Marko could do was snigger. He covered his mouth with his hand.

"Oh, that's right. You're supposed to be proper vampire hunters now, aren't you?" He straightened, taking a couple of steps closer to them and kept his grin when the three of them took two steps away. "Gotta admit, you guys are making a name for yourselves but…" He paused and leaned forward.

"You're not that great if one of you got turned," he said with a sneer. "That was really poor of your comic freak friend."

"Do you think you guys are scaring us?" Sam asked. "We took you all on last summer and we won."

"We'll do it again," Bernice added.

"Yeah," Bonnie said and she broke into her own smirk. "Where exactly are David, Dwayne and Paul?"

Marko growled, baring his teeth that lengthened immediately. His human features melted quickly into the face of a demon. Yellow eyes surrounded by dark shadows and hooded by a prominent forehead. Sharper cheekbones that made his whole face look pointed and angular. That's what Bonnie wanted to see. That monster she knew he really was. It made her anger bubble up, her fear turning to adrenaline and for the first time since seeing him she was more determined than ever to correct Edgar's mistake from last summer.

"So how come you didn't kill us straight away?" Bonnie asked. "You want revenge? You could have gotten it months ago."

Marko, still glaring at her with those burning eyes, didn't respond. Gone was the smirk and all he could do was scowl at her. His fingers flexed, bending into claws as if he was about to wrap them around her neck any minute. Or slit her throat. She eyed his fingers, taking in the sharp points of his nails, looking as deadly as his fangs and she warned herself not to piss him off too much.

"You were healing," Sam said. "Edgar might have missed but he still staked you and there was a lot of blood. Even for a vampire that's a pretty serious injury."

Bonnie nodded. "Adding to that gash I made in your neck, you must have been in a shit state."

"Didn't help," Marko muttered. But his anger quickly faded and he was grinning again. "But a vampire still heals. And I'm ready to play again."

He appeared right in front of Sam, a swift wave of his arm that looked like he was only going to brush Sam away. But there must have been some force in it as Sam yelped and was pushed off his feet and towards the entrance of the alley. The crossbow had fallen from his grip, unable to hold onto it as he saw the ground coming towards him. He groaned when he landed, rolling away and stayed on his back when he stopped, hissing through his teeth.

The girls were acting already. Bernice dashed forward first, stake raised but an iron grip clamped down on her wrist. She cried out, her face scrunched and muscles tensed as she pushed against his hold. He only laughed as she tried to move her wrist, using her whole body to move forward.

"I'm not even trying to hold you back. Maybe you don't deserve your reputation," he said and threw her to the side, tossing her away easily. Pain shot through her arm, from her elbow to her hand and she felt numbness for a brief second. She gasped, her other hand clutching at her elbow.

It was only Bonnie left. Before, she had been ready with Bernice. Ready to use her weapons. But seeing her two friends on the ground, she found herself stepping back. She couldn't help a scream as Marko marched towards her and grabbed at her shoulders. His grip was rough, fingers digging into her skin and she staggered backwards, feet slipping against the wet rubbish as he pushed her towards a wall. Her back hit against it and she swore at the collision. Her eyes glanced up at the leering vampire.

_Is this it? He's going to kill me. He's really going to kill me._

"You brought this on yourself," she hissed at him. "You didn't give me any choice! You were forcing me to become a vampire or die because I knew what you were. I wanted neither of those options."

"Then maybe you shouldn't go showing an interest in strangers. For a girl raised in the murder capital of the world, you weren't very careful. Kinda stupid, actually. You're lucky I wasn't searching for a midnight meal that night."

She sneered. "How lucky of me."

"You _were _lucky. I was giving you the option to break away from your life." His eyes narrowed at he looked down at her, like he was studying and observing her. "You're ill. It's getting easier to sense now. Whatever's happening is constantly getting stronger."

Tears stung in her eyes but she blinked quickly to get rid of them.

_No, _she thought. _That bastard isn't going to see me cry._

"It's going to cause you a lot of problems in the future, isn't it? You could have chosen to be free of that," he said. He glanced behind him, glaring at Bernice who was back on her feet and holding her stake up again. "I'll kill her right here if you try that again."

Bernice stiffened, still holding her stake but after his threat she stopped advancing on them.

_Forget me. Just stake him! _Bonnie begged mentally. When she looked at Bernice, her friend shook her head. She stayed where she was.

"Good girl," Marko said, grinning. "You've got more sense than your little friend here."

"I'll happily face this illness than become a vampire," Bonnie snapped.

Marko laughed, facing her again. "Too late to become a vampire anyway. I gave you the opportunity but you threw it away. You're a lying bitch and my pack's dead because of you and those comic book nerds. But you still don't have to face this illness." He brought his face closer to hers, baring his fangs for more effect and she cringed as she stared right into those unnatural glowing eyes of his.

"You're going to be dead soon anyway."

With a chuckle, he released her shoulders. He stepped back, flashing one last smirk before shooting up towards the sky. There was a harsh wind that blew Bonnie's hair into her face and the menacing screech and flapping of wings. When she looked up to where he flew she caught him disappearing over the roof of the building opposite. As soon as he was no longer in sight, her legs suddenly wobbled. They felt like they had turned to mush and she sank down, not caring that she had dropped down onto a pile of wet cardboard and she took in a deep, shaky breath.

"Bonnie?" Bernice was at her side immediately, crouching down next to her. Her eyebrows furrowed, taking in Bonnie's wide eyed expression. Her friend was usually on the tanned side but she looked drained of colour. White as if she was about to throw up. And for a second, Bernice thought her friend was about to do so when she put a hand to her mouth, clamping it around her lips tightly. Instead of vomiting, Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut and gave a loud sob.

"Come here," Bernice murmured and pulled her friend closer to her, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Sam trudged over, holding his hip and knelt in front of the girls. His hand went out to Bonnie, resting it on her knee.

"I thought it was over," Bonnie whispered. She sniffed, letting tears dampen her cheeks and drip off her chin.

"We'll make sure it is this time," Bernice vowed.


	14. Chapter 14

They'd gone straight to Sam's house, bursting back inside in the middle of a late tea. Surprised heads turned their way, including Star who often came over for meals. Lucy was the first to jump up, marching straight over to the gang.

"What's happened?" she asked, hands flying to her mouth. "Is anybody –?"

"Nobody's hurt," Sam interrupted, reaching for his mother and guiding her back to the kitchen. He told the others to wait at in the living room while he went towards the kitchen. Edgar nudged Alan and nodded to the windows. A silent order to keep an eye outside and his brother obeyed, taking position.

"Sam, what on earth is the matter?" Lucy asked.

"Remember last summer? With the vampires?"

There was a slight shudder through Lucy and she clutched her stomach, feeling it gurgle. "I remember. Too well."

"We didn't get all the vampires," Sam said. In the corner of his eye he saw his brother Michael put an arm around Star. "There was one we killed at the cave. Marko. At least, we thought we did –."

"We can't stay here," Lucy said, turning to everyone else. "We'll need to go someplace safe."

"This is the safest we're going to get, Lucy," Grandpa said in all seriousness. "We know the house. All the exits. Where the weapons are. I still have plenty of my old weapons."

"Mom, Grandpa is right. We can't run away from vampires. They'll only hunt us down. We need to stay here in a place we know and we'll sort it out." He gestured to his friends.

"Sammy –," Michael began but Sam held up a hand.

"We can deal with it."

"Sam, you're only sixteen. This isn't going out and happening to come across a vampire to stake. This vampire will be out for revenge. And you've told me there's a new pack in town. It's too much to fight against," Lucy said.

"I'm helping," Michael said.

"Michael, it's too dangerous. This is Marko. He's more capable than he looks." She glanced at Bonnie who was fighting back hysterical tears and the girls shared a wordless understanding with each other. They both knew what Marko could be like and they both knew the other was very much aware of it. She got up, heading straight for Bonnie and threw her arms around the quivering girl.

"Mom, who can we turn to for help?" Sam asked.

Lucy struggled for an answer. The truth was there was nobody. No other vampire hunters who were more experienced and older. No police. Her youngest son had been braving the nights since last summer, telling tales of every vampire he had staked. There was nothing delusional about what he had been achieving. He wasn't a child anymore and the Frog brothers were more than the bumbling, amateur vampire hunters they had been.

"I don't like this," she whispered.

"I don't either," Sam admitted. "But nobody comes after my friends and family. We'll get the place all defenced up. Set curfews. I'll come pick you up at the hospital if you have to work nights on reception."

She placed a palm against his cheek, trying to smile. "Oh, my brave boy. You promise me you'll be careful."

"We can go up against anything, Ms Emerson," Edgar said, smiling proudly but she didn't return it. Maybe their techniques had gotten better but they were still as cocky as ever. Arrogance wasn't reassuring.

"We need to group upstairs," he said, "Everybody in Sam's room."

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling?" Sam asked Bonnie. Courtesy of Lucy, almost everyone now had hot chocolate in their hands to warm them up. Only Alan passed, not really craving the taste of what was usually his favourite drink. For the first time he did not find the idea of melted marshmallows and cream mixed with the chocolate appetising. He frowned slightly when Sam brought another steaming cup up and passed it to Bonnie, being reminded of why he couldn't bring himself to have a drink himself.<p>

"I thought that part of my life was over," she muttered.

"We'll kill him for good this time," Edgar said. "At least it means we know the reason why we're being targeted like this. Marko survived and he's joined up with another vampire for revenge."

"But why this vampire? What does this Logan guy get out of revenge?" Bernice asked.

"There'll be a connection. Just not sure what. Maybe he's an old pack member that moved to another one, maybe he was actually related… I don't know," Sam said.

"Was there ever any mention of a Logan when you were half?" Edgar asked Bonnie.

She shook her head. "Never heard of him. But there was probably a lot they kept from me until they knew I was completely loyal to them."

Edgar gave a disappointed sigh, glancing at his brother. Alan stayed near the chest of drawers, keeping a distance from everybody else and right now he was looking away, completely disheartened. Edgar felt the guilt himself. It wasn't enough to be able to track down the Head Vampire. They still had no clue who they were actually dealing with. How long would Alan be able keep fighting for while they were still trying to piece this puzzle together?

_I'm supposed to be the one who looks out for him, _he thought. _I don't even feel like I have faith in myself._

"Maybe I should get to know these vampires," Alan said, quietly. "Pretend I'm losing the battle."

"I tried that," Bonnie said and gave a cynical laugh. "Worked freaking well for me, didn't it? If Marko is involved, he won't making the same mistake he did with me. Half vampires are untrustworthy. Period."

"Maybe we can get the information from one of them. Charlotte maybe?" Edgar cringed when faces turned to look at him. "Maybe we need to act harshly."

"How? Hold one hostage and torture information from them?" Bernice asked. Her blonde hair bounced as she shook her head. "That's not us."

"I don't know how else we're going to get the information we need. Unless some stranger has been dating a parent, finding a lead isn't going to be as easy as it was with Max."

"We're not sinking to that level," Sam said. "Look, this might take a while to sort out so don't go rushing into desperate measures. It's only been one day."

"One day too many. Remember how quickly Michael tried to attack you?"

"He controlled it. It was the one time."

"Star had been half for quite a while too," Bonnie said.

"I'll manage it," Alan spoke up, glaring at his brother. "But it doesn't help when you're insisting I won't be able to handle this all the time."

"I don't mean it like that."

"Have I attacked anyone yet?"

Edgar ducked his head. "No."

"There you go. Maybe I'm stronger than you think. Wanting blood isn't something that I'm feeling now and again that will randomly make me snap. It's _constant_. I've been wanting it since I was turned."

Edgar gave a shudder and Alan scowled.

"Sorry if that creeps you out but you need to understand that I am actually managing." He suddenly straightened up. "Like Sam said, it's only been a day. We've barely got started in an investigation so you need to stop acting like we're failing already. Everyone needs to ask their parents. See if there is anyone new at their work. Check out any new stores that are open and monitor the staff. If this Head Vampire is anything like Max we'll find them."

"Me and Bridget will keep an eye out at work tomorrow," Bernice said and Alan nodded. He glanced at Edgar who shrugged lightly.

"Okay. We'll do it," he muttered. But there was still a nagging voice in his head that wasn't allowing him to feel any better about the situation or feel any confidence.

_What if this Head Vampire doesn't mingle like Max? Then what?_

He stayed quiet. Even as everyone made a list of any new shops and their parents workplaces. The comic store, they decided, was safe seeing as most of the employees were actually present in the room or an adult member of the Frog family. Mrs Teahan, Bernice and Bridget's mother, was a teacher which ruled out vampires there and her after school drama classes were full of children from ages ten to eighteen. They were all from the local schools and as far as Bernice knew, there were no more places available for new students. Both her classes were fully booked up and she was the only teacher there.

But for the rest of the adults, they all had jobs that could be vulnerable to the appearance of a vampire. Stage manager, paediatric, hotel receptionist … all jobs that expected the adults to work nights and with other people. Any vampire could walk into one of those jobs.

Edgar watched everyone continue to plan, even Alan who had a determination in his eyes that he was struggling to gain himself. All he really felt, and could only feel, was a twisting sickness in his stomach. The others were so sure that everything was going to be okay and to Edgar it all seemed incredibly naïve because there was another path that no-one had mentioned and it even appalled him to think it because he felt like he was doubting his brother.

If Alan turned… what then?

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave a review. Chapter 15 will be up next Saturday. :) <strong>


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